It is led by Haitham Assem Tantawy, an Egyptian director, actor trainer and musician, a graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama – University of London in the UK. Through rigorous practice-based research, the project aims to retrace the paths of eastern spiritual and transcendental physical and vocal practices. These, which long ago have been strongly inherent in the doings of the th
ree Abrahamic religions, present mostly in Judaism, Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the Sufi school of Islam. Our work studies different forms of sacred music and investigates various movement structures and vocal compositions that define and enrich the holistic experience of such ritualistic practices. Our vision thus lies in crafting a unique theatrical language, cultivating a strong ethos of ensemble work to create orchestral ceremonies. This, which engages the audience on a profound subconscious level of understanding and appreciation and integrating various disciplines of he performing arts. With our language we strive to address and explore the connecting threads that link old sacred narratives and myths with global contemporary topics. And by this we seek to trace their relevance in our current time, further allowing ourselves to study the continuity and transmission of forms of knowledge across the human history. The launching of the project came through a rich cultural encounter within a series of intensive practical workshops, which took place in Berlin over a period of seven months in 2014. The workshops attracted large number of multinational actors, musicians and performers. The work process throughout the sessions has focused mainly on sacred modal music and ritualistic singing/movement traditions of the Middle East and regions of West Asia. Directly afterwards, an international ensemble was formed, led by Haitham Assem Tantawy, engaging in a more extensive training program and a long research process of creating musical, vocal, physical and textual material. The created work has been in continuous development for integration into an orchestral structure for stage. The ensemble gave its first performance in July 2015, titled “Preludes of Orchestral Theatre”, directed by Haitham Assem Tantawy. In 2016 The company has received public funding from the Senat Chancellery for cultural affairs and Fonds Darstellende Künste to produce its second music theatre production “YUSUF’S”, premiered in November 2016 at Villa Elisabeth in Berlin.