The word CONTE-QUEST comes from the French word ‘conte’ (story) and the English word ‘conquest’. Betsy Dentzer and Luisa Bevilacqua created this project to promote the art of storytelling for adults in Luxembourg.
Regularly hired to tell stories to young audiences throughout the country, the two artists recognized that they were rarely asked by cultural institutions to work for an adult audience.
The purpose of CONTE-QUEST was therefore to build up the loyalty of this new audience over the long term. To reach this goal, the artists explored new artistic forms that go beyond traditional shows and conventional frameworks.
The project spanned two periods (2021/2022 & 2022/2023) and had two main components:
--> the monthly radio show RadiOdyssee, the aim of which was to get to know the work of a storyteller behind the scenes.
How do you do research? What knowledge does a storyteller acquire? What topics touch on the art of storytelling or are touched on by it? How do other art forms approach these topics?
--> several story nights in unusual locations in the City of Luxembourg as well as the more elaborate storytelling play "Tell it again, Sam", presented at Théâtre des Capucins at the end of the project in summer 2023. The different programmes created during the project were then integrated into the association's repertoire.
Production: Erzielkonscht ASBL
Co-Production: Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Radio 100,7
Partners: Service de Coordination Culturelle de la Ville de Luxembourg, Fonds Kirchberg
With the support of Œuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte – Fonds stART-up, Ministère de la Culture, Fondation Indépendance by BIL