Common Stories decentering the stage

This November, Common Stories traveled from Lisbon to Brussels, with a stop in Bobigny, while preparations continue for the final symposium, which will wrap up this remarkable journey at Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles from 11 to 13 December.

CommonPROD: November premieres

We at the Nightclub Suffer Togetherby Diego Bragà

Copacabana, 1970s: while disco pulses, Latin and African-American immigrants dream of happy endings. Decades later, Miss Universe takes refuge in a bunker that was once her uncle’s gay disco during Brazilian fascism. Blending archive materials from Ricardo Wagner with fiction, and inspired by Richard Wagner’s concept of the total artwork, Diego Bragà offers a hyperpop opera through a transfeminist lens, imagining a beautiful future.

Premiered: 14–15 November | Espaço do Tempo (XL Box), Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal
An Alkantara production, co-produced by afriCOLOGNE, part of Common Stories (Creative Europe), with support from OPART, E.P.E./Estúdios Victor Córdon, and TalentLAB 2025. Diego Bragà is a CommonLAB 2024 artist.


Cadences créoles, dix mille fois dédoubléesby Inés Sybille Vooduness & Malvin Montero

Inspired by the Marassa Jumeaux (divine twins in Vodou), dancers blend Angolan Kuduro, Jamaican Dancehall, and Dominican Dembow to create a metallic, playful, and powerful physical poetics. Through syncretism and diasporic connections, they reterritorialize a singular, protective, and strategic spirituality.

Premiered: 14–15 November | Espaço do Tempo (Oficina Magina), Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal
An Alkantara production, co-produced by Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles and MC93, part of Common Stories (Creative Europe). Inés Sybille Vooduness is a CommonLAB 2024 artist.


Cis-tem Errorby Nadim Bahsoun

An immersive journey through hidden corridors and rooms, exploring stories, smells, tastes, song, and dance. Nadim Bahsoun reflects on war, colonial trauma, safety, and resilience, inspired by his grandmother Amina, who rebuilt her house after it was burnt down by the French army.

Premiered: 9–10 November | Budascoop, Next Festival, Kortrijk, Belgium
Future showings: June 2026 in Marseille (Rencontres à l’échelle) and December 2026 at Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles
Co-produced by Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles and Riksteatern, part of Common Stories (Creative Europe). Nadim Bahsoun is a CommonLAB 2024 artist.

CommonMOB toured in November

Through its mobility grants, CommonMOB expands the reach of performances that question notions of diversity. In November, three projects travel between Bobigny, Brussels and Lisbon.

Silence, ça tourne by Chrystèle Khodr & Nadim Deaibes
Based on the true story of Eva Ståhl, a Swedish nurse and survivor of the Tel Al Zaatar massacre, this piece reflects on the traces left by witnesses of major historical upheavals. Presented at Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles and at MC93 in Bobigny.

umuko by Dorothée Munyaneza
Invoking the umuko—the healing, ancestral, story-keeping tree—Dorothée Munyaneza brings together four young Rwandese artists navigating the legacy of the past, the precariousness of the present, and the future they claim as their own. Presented at Culturgest as part of the Alkantara Festival.

Galactic Crush 2: Into the Cold by Stephanie Kayal & Abed Kobeissy
With subtle dark humour, this interstellar journey leads us into frozen, unknown territories where memories of home and family open the possibility of forgiving the world’s failures. Presented in Lisbon, as a CommonPROD project supported by Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles and Alkantara.

CommonLAB 2025 is over

On 23 October, the CommonLAB programmes concluded at MC93 with a public presentation featuring the eight artists: Bruno Brandolino, Eslam Elnebishy, Keli Freitas, Xirley Harthey Ubilla, Sepideh Khodarahmi, Maria Mercedes Flores Mujica, Emmanuel Ndefo, and Massandje Sanogo. Here are some snapshots capturing the highlights of this special day.

Three days of reflection to look back over the three years of Common Stories

From 11 to 13 December, the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles hosts a three-day programme of reflection and dialogue.

On 11 December, members of the Good Practices Factory and local professionals will gather for two round tables to explore strategies for sustainable diversity. The day concludes with La Riposte, Laurence Rosier’s dynamic performance on saying no, standing up, and resisting.

12 December begins with a workshop for Good Practices Factory members led by Anusha Tyson, Development Officer at Riksteatern. In the afternoon, round tables bring together CommonLAB artists from 2023–2025 alongside Brussels-based artists and activists, moderated by Joëlle Sambi and Sylvia Botella. The evening features a public conversation with Mame-Fatou Niang, Hortense Archambault, and artists Pankaj Tiwari (CommonLAB 2024) and Emmanuel Ndefo (CommonLAB 2025).

On 13 December, the Common Stories board holds its final brainstorming session to plan future steps, guided by Safia Kessas in dialogue with the Théâtre National team.

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