Multividual

Melody. Refrain. Words. Choreography. Image.

Popular songs and the entire music industry have a big impact on our lives, whether we want them to or not. Sometimes, we’re just passive listeners, unconsciously memorising all the songs we hear. And sometimes, we tend to very consciously admire various pop stars, groups and icons, especially when we’re growing up, but also later.

It’s not just love songs that offer us a variety of images about love and life to which we then try to relate. Darwin said that all songs are about love and sex. Maybe he was a visionary and foresaw today’s pop music industry.

Three women are researching the ubiquity and power of pop songs. To what extent are we composed of pieces and characters from music videos? How aware of this are we? What kind of carriers of information do we become in this context?

About the company

The Ufftenživot group (Sára Arnstein, Jiří Šimek, and producer Tereza Tomášová) has been active on the independent theatre scene since 2013. They create unique projects on the borders of theatre, performance, slam poetry, and puppetry. Their productions are regularly presented on important stages in Prague, Czech Republic, and abroad, as well as at international festivals. The ensemble’s last project, KEEP CALM (2017), was nominated for Best Alternative Production of the Year in an i-divadlo poll. Sára Arnstein won Best Actress in the same poll.

Since 2013, the team has created five devised shows: Králíček (The Rabbit, 2013, DAMU), GoG (2014, Studio ALTA), Loneliness & stuff (2016, Studio ALTA), KEEP CALM (2017, Alfred ve dvoře) Neboj_aneb show tanečníka Jiříka (Don’t be afraid_Or the Dancer Georgie’s (Jiřík’s) show, 2018, Cross Attic). They also lead workshops (venues include Švestkový dvůr Malovice, Dětské studio Altík, Improtřesk, Art-Gate.cz) and act as hosts for cultural events (Día de los muertos 2016, Alfred ve dvoře; Dance Day 2017, Studio ALTA; Czech Theatre DNA Awards 2018).

Ufftenživot’s style of work combines disciplines, searching for new routes for scenic expression and pushing the boundaries of theatre as such. The process always begins with a topic. Through research, improvisation, and experimentation, the form of the resultant production gradually crystallises. In addition to a combination of expressive means (movement, speech, puppetry, projections), their work is characterised by an emphasis on the presence of the audience member and the performer, their relationship here and now and a particular nakedness and simplicity of message.

“We understand theatre as an experience and a space of sharing where we can return to something we have long forgotten: our natural spirituality, beaten down by today’s consumerist, capitalist, accelerated way of life. We try to create experiences that inspire the audience to find their own critical positions, broaden their horizons and find new names for what surrounds us. The absurdity and inconsistency of the world is our inspiration.” – Sára Arnstein

In 2023, Ufftenživot’s main repertoire includes the productions This Is Not a Love Song, directed by Sára Arnstein, and Lucia Kasiárová’s solo Multividual, produced and dramaturgically supervised by Ufftenživot. A new performance, WHOMAN, created by Peter Šavel and Jiří Šimek, will premiere in May at Studio ALTA. Since March 2020, we have also produced a podcast – “Život on Air”, which was nominated for the biannual Czech Theatre DNA Award.