This week, we interviewed Michael Masberg, our Associate Creative Director and storytelling mastermind. We spoke with him about how his background in theatre, role-playing games and novel writing shapes his approach to story and dramaturgy for bR projects in general, and the Esch2022 launch specifically.
As previously raised by Brendan Shelper, CEO of battleROYAL, and Nancy Braun, Director of the European Capital of Culture Esch2022, the central question of the initial concept for the Esch2022 Launch was: How can we build the crescendo for a societal momentum that takes a region’s population over the threshold into a new era? Or, in the words of Moloko: How can we “make this moment last”? Our answer: Rituals.
When cultural institutions in Germany went dark due to the strict contact restrictions in Spring 2020, creatives moved their activity from stages and other places of live encounters to the digital and hybrid realms causing some wild innovations. The rules of theatrical and live production were rewritten hourly. During this time, our creative team at battleROYAL were meant to enter the ideation phase for a major production and went fully remote. We developed our own approach, referring to it as ‘Creative Prototyping’. Let us take you on a journey of what‘s possible as soon as we take our minds off the treaded paths and start modulating the processes of ideation towards creating in and for a hybrid world.
Following the interview with Esch2022 director Nancy Braun that we shared last week and in which she gave insight on her vision for the process and impact of Esch-sur-Alzette and the greater region as the European Capital of Culture (ECOC) of 2022, we now spoke to our CEO Brendan Shelper about this major project. He shares how his experience in large-scale opening ceremonies, as well as the method of Design Thinking, informs the launch of Esch2022.
Nancy Braun has been General Director of Esch2022 since 2018. She gained her first professional experience in the cultural field serving as Deputy General Coordinator of Luxembourg and Greater Region, European Capital of Culture 2007, before heading the Supervisory Board of Carré Rotondes. She then held the position of Administrative and Financial Director at the Luxembourg Bar Association for nearly six years, before joining the office of the Luxembourgish Democratic Party (DP) as General Coordinator. In January 2016 she was appointed Administrative Director of Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain.