The first page of a book opens up a world, a story, a landscape...

In this durational performance, people take turns and read aloud the first page of a book that is important to them.

Vlatka Horvat’s Beginnings Marathon Online is a reading performance - with and for the audience. Readers of all ages and backgrounds are invited to take part in the performance. Bring a book or several books and join us in this communal reading performance. The book or books you choose can be in any language, in any genre and on any topic - novel or non-fiction, children's book or fairy tale, dime novel or classic, poetic texts or technical manuals – any book that for whatever reason is meaningful for you.

The various texts, readers and languages ​​in Beginnings Marathon Online will fill the digital space with a collage of beginnings, openings and unfinished stories. The act of reading aloud creates a community of readers and listeners who come together in the digital space to listen, think and imagine together.
The live version of the project “in the real world” will be presented  at Open Sunday in the autumn.



Participation

To participate, please register with your first name and surname and the Subject "Beginnings Marathon Online" via E-Mail to fleischer@kunstfestspiele.de.

After registering, on the day of the event, you will receive a link to a zoom meeting. You can open this in your browser. Allow your browser to use your camera and microphone.
Then a team member of the KunstFestSpiele will bring you into the meeting. From that point on you will be visible to everyone but not yet audible as your microphone will be turned off at the start.

When you want to read from the book you have brought with you, please raise your virtual hand in the zoom meeting.
It works like this:
In the meeting, click "Attendees" at the bottom of the bar, then click "Raise your hand." This will add your name on the list of readers. In the chat you will be able to follow the order of readers and will be able to see in advance when it will be your turn to read.

When it's your turn, we will activate your microphone so that you can be seen and heard.
During the reading:
• You decide whether you want to name the title and author of the book.
• Read only the first page of the book.
• If the text only starts at the bottom of the page, you can still read the next page.
• If the last sentence ends on the second page, you can either turn the page and finish reading the sentence or stop at the bottom of the page, even if it leaves the sentence unfinished.

After you are done reading the first page of your book, we will again mute your microphone.

You are welcome to read as many times as you wish, from as many books as you wish. Each time you want to read from a new book, please raise your hand again.

Join us, and have fun!