Danilo Jovanović

“Stories about hugs” is a physical theatre play that conveys the stories of gay/queer migrant men in Vienna. Through movement and spoken word, the play highlights vulnerability, exposure, transparency and authenticity in the form of an ‘open soul concept’. This concept is based on working with personal content and translating this into theatre, as opposed to acting. Stories and themes amongst the gay community which are less visible are presented through questioning stereotypes, racism, migration, social networks and online dating, sex, HIV etc. Two bodies on the stage flow from softness and sensitivity to tension and anger.

Danilo Jovanović is a performer and director of Physical Theatre from ex-Yugoslavia, currently living and working in Vienna. In his artistic production he combines theater with the starting points of his creative work - poetry writing and queer activism. Believing in theater as a place of collective action and a platform for sharing knowledge and experience, especially for those who have less access to resources, , he founded Complicit - Physical Theatre Collective with like-minded people at the end of 2019. The vision of a theater as an open experiential space or "Open Soul Phenomenon" rather than a place of acting is at the heart of Danilo Jovanović's work.