| Maker | Courtney May Robertson |
| Duration | 90 min |
Celebrate the monstrous, the grotesque!
In the depths of a private locked room, HUNTER toys with the redemptive process of a classical tragedy, whereby a character is made to gain insight through suffering. Though in this tragedy, performer and choreographer Courtney May Robertson enacts so-called life-affirming monstrosities upon herself and her life-sized doppelgänger in doll form. The duo - one of flesh and blood, the other crafted from foam and silicone - map out the internal torments and ecstasies of an individual in conflict with a society that upholds purity as a moral standard.
Inspired by horror, BDSM and melodrama, a tapestry of images are woven in which the grotesque, sexual perversion and excessiveness become triumphant symbols for bodily autonomy and empowerment. Spectators are invited to enter a space where the rigid dichotomy between repulsion and attraction dissolves. Courtney is convinced that when shame is suspended the visceral emotion of disgust, generally associated with aversion, has the capacity to transform into paradoxical intrigue. Propelled by an industrial soundscape composed by Acidic Male, in HUNTER self-destruction is embraced as an act of self-preservation.
Age recommendation is 16 +, contains stroboscopic effects, self-harming acts are portrayed in this performance which could have a disturbing effect on viewers.
Courtney May Robertson (Scotland, 1992) is a performer and maker from Rotterdam. After graduating in 2013, she joined Club Guy & Roni's Poetic Disasters Club. Since then she has performed extensively throughout Europe in works by Jan Martens, Connor Schumacher and Florentina Holzinger, among others.
In 2015 Courtney started to create her own small-scale / DIY produced performances. In 2020 she became artist in residence at ICK Artist Space in Amsterdam; her more recent work is co-produced by Dansateliers Rotterdam.
A trained dancer, Courtney's work starts with the body, branching over to several other disciplines, including video, generative art and writing. A recurring subject matter in her work revolves around a widespread phenomenon she has defined as 'the relentless desire to dominate'.
In 2020, Courtney received De Trowel – Festival Cement's incentivised prize for young makers – for her conceptual work THE WOMAN DESTROYEDs. She was also nominated for its Belgian equivalent, the Roel Verniers Prize of the Theater Festival Belgium. In 2021 she received the Young Artsupport Amsterdam (YAA) Prize.
Her short solo the pleasure of stepping off a horse when it's moving at full speed (2020), was selected for Aerowaves Twenty22. Courtney had presented her works on a big international scale, including The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, France, Italy and Sweden.
| Concept, choreography, video-design and performance | Courtney May Robertson |
| Sound design | Puck Schot (Acidic Male) |
| Lighting and decor design | Manuel Boutreur |
| Puppet Design | Ronald Schinkelshoek, Zoe Morgan |
| Costume design | Matija Franjes |
| Discomfort devices | BNDSN |
| Dramaturgy | Lara van Lookeren |
| Production | Lena Meijer |
| PR & communications | Jannes Heidinga |
| Coproduction | Dansateliers, Dans Brabant, ICK Artist Space Dans Amsterdam, Grand Theater Groningen |
| With support of | Stimuleringsfonds Design Grant, Gemeente Rotterdam, AFK |
| Thanks to | Yoko Haveman |
Korzo x de Pizzabakkers
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Enjoy a pizza at de Pizzabakkers before the show starts. For €8.50 you can choose from different kinds of pizzas. Click below to make a reservation! |
Korzo Zaal