Motus's PANORAMA Explores Nomadic Identity and Borders with Great Jones Repertory Company

Motus, the Italian theatre company founded by Daniela Nicolò and Enrico Casagrande, presents PANORAMA, a performance extending their exploration of nomadic identity from MDLSX to geographical borders and imposed nationalities. The show involves members of the Great Jones Repertory Company, the multi-ethnic resident troupe at La MaMa in New York. Using biographical and diasporic experiences, Motus, with dramaturg Erik Ehn, creates new existential landscapes. After its New York debut, PANORAMA will be presented in Europe on March 14-15, 2018 at Vooruit in Ghent, Belgium. The Italian premiere runs from May 2-7, 2018 at Triennale Teatro dell'Arte in Milan, followed by presentations on May 10-11, 2018 at Arena del Sole in Bologna. The work stems from workshops titled "Furious Diaspora" held in Rotterdam, Barcelona, Rio de Janeiro, and Helsinki, and focuses on the experiences of immigrant artists navigating the Green Card process. The performance adopts a fake film audition format, critiquing stereotypical casting roles for Asian, African American, and Latino actors. Motus's research is informed by theorists such as Rosi Braidotti, Judith Butler, and Wendy Brown, particularly Brown's "Walled States. Waning Sovereignty." Daniela Nicolò discusses the project's political urgency in the context of Trump's election and rising conservative nationalism.