Female Economy

Roosen in French newspaper Le Monde

2011-11-12T13:42:32+02:00

'What is important to me is the encounter with the Other - however different it may be. And ultimately, if my work is successful, people should say, "The Other is actually only human too, not alien."' Read More

Les Monologues Voilés in Paris 2011
30 Sep t/m 1 Jan 2012 | Petit Theatre
www.lesmonologuesvoiles.fr

Veiled Monologues at Institut Néerlandais in Paris

2011-10-03T13:42:32+02:00

The actrices performed several Monologues and the audience participated in the comversation about intimate issues like desires, sexuality and taboos.

Les Monologues Voilés special in Institut Néerlandais

2011-09-27T13:42:32+02:00

Les Monologues Voilés | 30 September 2011 - 1 January 2012 | Petit Theatre de Paris

In 2002 Ms. Roosen toured her own homeland, interviewing some seventy women ,all born in an Islamic country but now living in the Netherlands. They talked about intimacy, sexuality and love. It was an attempt to look beyond the superficial with a gentler, unbiased gaze.

Their stories, rituals, beauty and pain were woven into twelve penetrating monologues. A cast of four women from an Islamic background perform these hilarious, shocking and moving dialogues to the musical accompaniment of a Turkish saz.

September 28th Roosen and the French actresses will have a conversation with journalist Saskia Dekkers and the public of the Institut Néerlandais. An evening with some theatrical surprises.

Admission free, reservation recommended: Tel 01 53 59 12 47
In association with LP Productions, Théâtre de Poche Brussels and Institut Néerlandais
www.institutneerlandais.com

More about The Veiled Monologues or visit www.lesmonologuesvoiles.fr

Sara Kroos calls Adelheid

2011-09-23T13:42:32+02:00

Sara Kroos will call Adelheid Roosen in Paris, Les Monologues Voilés premieres at September the 30th.

The play can be seen till 1 January 2012 at the Petit Théatre.
For reservations www.theatredeparis.com

More about this French production at www.lesmonologuesvoiles.fr

More about The Veiled Monologues in English

French premiere

2011-06-20T13:42:32+02:00

The play can be seen till 1 January 2012 at the Petit Théatre.
For reservations www.theatredeparis.com

More about this French production at www.lesmonologuesvoiles.fr

More about The Veiled Monologues in English

De Gesluierde Monologen on TV

2010-12-10T13:42:32+02:00

Agnes Jongerius will be the guest of Cornald Maas in the arts and culture show Opium. She will present extracts and discuss her most powerful artistic experience: De Gesluierde Monologen (The Veiled Monologues) by Adelheid Roosen.

More about The Veiled Monologues

8 to 31 July 2010 | Rerun of Les Monologues Voilés

2010-06-15T13:42:32+02:00

Four French-Arabic actors performed Les Monologues Voiles, which was co-produced with Theâtre de Poche. Due to the huge success of this version in Brussels, it was staged for the fourth time in a row at Theatre de Poche. The performance in Theater la Chapelle du Verbe Incarné, Avignon was completely sold out.

From Le Parisien 25 March 2010
"The audience laughed, had moments of intense concentration and, above all, discovered a multifaceted feminine universe - one where they call a spade a spade.
Here we have twelve [testimonies from Islamic women living in the Netherlands] that complement one another, that touch on each and every aspect of the female condition: often wounded and subjugated by men, but always captivatingly sensual and seethingly complex."

Full text of The Veiled Monologues

2007-10-18T13:42:32+02:00

Based on Roosen’s interviews with hundreds of Muslim women from around the world who emigrated to the Netherlands, the monologues, delivered onstage by Dutch Muslim actresses, powerfully reveal the challenges for Muslim women as they contend with issues of intimacy, sexuality, and love across complicated cultural and political divides. The issue also explores other artistic encounters between the Muslim world and the West and the ways that individual theater practitioners and productions have recently attempted to bridge cultural conflicts. In addition to the full text of The Veiled Monologues, an introductory essay discusses the play’s early production in the Netherlands, situating the project in the context of the country’s explosive debates over immigration and assimilation following the 2003 assassination of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Also included is a panel discussion on the controversy surrounding the New York production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie—a play based on the life of the U.S. peace activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer—one of the most fiercely contested subjects of recent theater seasons. The issue also features British director Andrew Steggall’s account of his journey into Iraq in 2004 to mount a production of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale with a cast of British and Iraqi actors and musicians. This account examines the trials, tribulations, and rewards of creating art in the midst of violence and political chaos. Contributors. Arnold Aronson, Joseph P. Cermatori, Jason Fitzgerald, Shawn-Marie Garrett, Stanley Kauffmann, Marina Kotzamani, Gordon Rogoff, Adelheid Roosen, Rachel Rusch, Tom Sellar, Andrew Steggall

Tom Sellar, editor of Theater, is Assistant Professor of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism at the Yale School of Drama.

Author: Tom Sellar (Editor}

Format: Paperback, 128 pages

Publication Date: May 2007

Publisher: Duke Univ Pr

ISBN-10: 0822366800

ISBN-13: 9780822366805

List Price: $12.00

Music in The Veiled Monologues

2007-09-19T13:42:32+02:00

Turkish music has arisen from the lament, which women sang mostly when someone beloved died. This singing was later on accompanied with an instrument: the lute (Saz / Baglama). This traditional Turkish instrument is an ancient troubadours instrument which Turkish troubadours took along their journeys. In the future this instrument was also played at celebrations. Furthermore this instrument is used in some religions during praying as well. The lute is a very important instrument for many people in Turkey because of its diversity in use and meaning. It’s a part of Turkish history and therefore many Turkish families have a lute in their home and play. Because of the importance of this instrument it is called Saz which literally means instrument. The actual name of the Turkish lute is Baglama.

The Turkish lute has a long narrow helve and consists of seven strings. These strings are combined in groups of three strings beneath, two strings in the middle and above. Standard chording of the lute is: mi (beneath), la (middle) and si (above). On sheet music these notes are all transposed one whole note downwards. A difference with Western music is that Turkish music is based on Arabic musical scales and not on Western harmony. At this moment of time these two bases are of course combined. Another difference is that the Turkish lute has an extra fret between one whole note. So between the half note rise, this instrument has an extra fret (¼ rise). This sound is strange for the Western ear and is considered out of tune for someone who does not know why. The intention of this extra fret was to carry out the sound of the lament.

The Veiled Monologues consists of true stories of Muslim women. These stories are accompanied with music and in some parts also by singing of a Turkish female musician.

The repertoire consists of existed songs and lyrics and also of improvised parts of music. The songs with lyrics are chosen relating to the topic of the play. There are three songs which are standard in this play and relate to the topics of the monologues. The first song is called:

“Ag elime mor kinalar yaktilar” or “Gelin Aglamasi” (Crying Bride). Translated it means: They smeared purple henna on my pure white hands. Henna is a red pigment which is used for body paint and art in Asia and Africa and it is mostly used during weddings. Purple henna does not exist but it is a metaphor for the harshness of a woman’s (girl) life in this song. The lyrics of this song are about a girl that has been forced to marry when she was twelve years old. This song is also called Crying Bride which stands for her feeling betrayed, alone and afraid. In spite of her struggle she thanks God / Allah for helping her in her life. This song and its lyrics belong to Süleyman Ugur.

The second song is: Uzun ince bir yoldayim, from Asik Veysel Satiroglu, one of the most famous troubadours in Turkey. Translated: I am on a narrow long road. This song is about life itself. It tells us about life as a journey. A journey with aims/goals on a road you never can plan in advance. Besides this it is also literally the story of a troubadours life. This song is chosen because of the fact that all the woman in the monologues have passed this road with their struggles, pain but also with happiness and strength.

The last song is called: Hem okudum, hemi de yazdim, from Ali Ciyez. Translated: I have read, and also written. This song is about a woman which states that she has worked so hard in life and has seen every kind of difficulty and sorrow. Sadly enough life is very harsh on her because of the loss of a child. This song is an intro to a monologue of a woman’s life who was suppressed by her husband and his family but held on to her life by reading the Koran and saved her children after the pain and maltreatment she and her children went through.

The Veiled Monologues of rare intensity

2007-09-19T13:42:32+02:00

The story of the ‘Virgin of Hoog Catherijne’ (: covered shopping mall) is one of The Veiled Monologues. Contrary to what the title suggests, the stories of Adelheid Roosen are not veiling and are even particularly intimate.�Roosen based herself, analogous to ‘The Vagina Monologues’ of Eve Ensler, on interviews with women, in this case with Muslim women living in The Netherlands.

The monologues, performed by a changing cast, are each of a rare intensity. It feels like a priviledge to actually look into the depths of a Muslim woman.

Painful questions, like female mutilation and the glorification of the virgin membrane, are relieved of their taboos with a certain ease.

The monologues are naked, without becoming vulgar, touching without being pitiful and confronting without snubbing.

Completely independent

The oppression of the Islamic women is a tangible constancy, but is sometimes clarified with stories of strong emancipated Muslim women.

Women who know how to handle this oppression within their society and at the same time are completely independent.

The ticket to a happy marriage is still the virgin membrane in their world. So they either have� a plastic surgeon operatively repair the injury or have the labia stitched together by girlfriends, to fake virginity after having had secret sex.

Roosen looked for a pleasant balance in her monologues, that she formulated clear-cut and poetic.

I was astonished at the tremendous lively and especially beautiful tone that the women take on about making love, nakedness, looking at each other and to come after making love.

In the second part the stories become more intensive, less lively, and sometimes atrocious. Even if it’s about such a painful subject as circumcision, the poetry keeps putting the anecdotic in bright light. Like in the story The Twelve Bells where a Somali mother explains to her daughter that circumcision is a part of her life.

The daughter, strongly set against female circumcision, listens with great emotions to her mother, and becomes confused. The old game of for and against doesn’t work anymore.

Sauce

Roosen doesn’t shy away from pouring an educational sauce over her play and at one moment actually speaks to the people directly.

The term female circumcision may never be used again because it’s about genital injury. And all Islamic mothers, sisters and aunts are reminded to throw the myth of virginity overboard. It is their precious daughters’ choice to decide how to enter matrimony.

Lesbian football player

The lecture of the monologues is of remarkable quality. Nazmiye Oral as the lesbian football player from Casablanca is an irrefutable peak.

Meral Polat, splendid in The Fifth Day and the third actress Oya Capelle gave an outstanding performance during the membrane demonstration where 5 methods are explained to fake a broken virgin membrane on the wedding night.

I fell out of my seat with laughter; saw the frightening tragic and the humor of surviving of women under the pressure cooker of Islamic compulsive neurosis.

With her Veiled Monologues, Adelheid Roosen wanted Muslim women to be looked at differently, in a softer manner. And she succeeded massively.