MONCEF ZAHROUNI
Tunisian queer multidisciplinary artist experimenting with music (lyricist, composer, mixer), theater (dramatist, director) videography and poetry. He is been active in the Tunisian art scene since 2010 and shepherded several projects ever since like “Bibouddha”, "Myllenium Capella", "Human Friends", "TranStyX"...
EXPERIENCE
2021
Church Of EUTHANASIA
Synopsis
“The simplest Surrealist act consists of dashing down the street, pistol in hand, and calling for mass suicide then demonstrating it by shooting the dreams swarming in the head.” -Esra Breton
The StyX Trilogy
The Church of Euthanasia is a theatrical performance devised by by Moncef Zahrouni as the second chapter of the StyX trilogy which addresses the theme of death. TranStyX, being the first installment of the trilogy, addresses near-death experiences and the afterlife. Church of Euthanasia is a dystopia revolving around mass suicide.
What's The Church of Euthanasia
The Church of Euthanasia (also known as CoE) is a religious organization, founded by Chris Korda and Robert Kimberk (Pastor Kim) in Boston, Massachusetts in 1992.
As stated on its website, it is "a non-profit educational foundation devoted to restoring balance between Humans and the remaining species on Earth".[2] Its members affirm that this can only turn into a reality by a massive voluntary population reduction, which will depend on a leap in human consciousness to species-awareness. According to Korda, it is likely that this church is the world's only anti-human religion.
-Wikipedia
Watch the Performance (FR titles available- EN Titles will be availabe soon)
2020
Couleur Pourpre de La Grande Bleue
Couleur Pourpre de La Grande Bleue (The purple color of the Big Blue Sea) is a theatrical work devised and directed by Naoufel Azara assisted by Moncef Zahrouni. A somber mise-en-scène with 6 actors on stage to depicts the perilous and tragic life of clandestine migrants who try to flee a country that struggles to offer them dignity, freedom and equal chances... Death lurks in the waves of the deep dark blue sea but the infinitesimal hope to reach the Eldorado seems worth the fight...
2019
TranStyX, The Play
Click Here to learn more about the project
2018
Fairy Tale
Fairy Tale is a project initiated by Handhala association in partnership with Moncef Zahrouni aiming at initiating kids and teenagers in integrated youth and children's center in Cité Al Khadra to theater and dramatic arts. On a weekly basis and during 4 months, a 2-hour course took place allowing the center's residents to practice role plays, vocal technique and voice training, public speaking, storytelling, choreography ... The major outcome of the project was a short play devised by the participants.
The project had a positive impact of several aspect:
Particpants gained more self-confidence and trust-based relationships started to emerge within the pilot group
Kids turbulent behaviors significantly reduced
Interest in arts aroused
2018
4.48 Psychosis
Moncef Zahrouni was asked by Sonia Hedhili, the director, to join the project team as an actors director and a support dramatist. The play is a Tunisian-dialect adaptation of 4.48 Psychosis, the play by British playwright Sarah Kane. The play premiered in May 2018 on El Teatro stage then was performed again in October 2018.
She does not know where the world starts as all frontiers collapsed. However, there is a place where life and death can cohabitate in the same heart.
She reached the end of an awful story of conscience buried in a foreign body outcasted by the vast majority.
2017
2017: Human Friends, The Play
2017: Human Friends the play
Human friends is a play produced by El Teatro Tunis starring Moncef Zahrouni & Amina Ben Doua. The artwork is based on a play by the science/philosophy fiction writer Bernard Werber.
The French author is known for his intriguing writing technique that consists of taking a step back and observing the human species through different angles/perspectives.
Synopsis
Kidnapped then confined into a hostile cage, Raouf a misanthropic biologist and Samira a cabaret singer face three challenges: decipher the abductor identity, cohabitate with very limited resources and learn to love each other. Ultimately, comes the existential question: does humanity deserve a second chance?
2017
2017: Human Friends, The Score
A 3-single EP released in 2017 including the original soundtrack of Human Friends, the play.
Playlist (click to listen and free download on Soundcloud)
2016
2016: (M)ass Terrorism- Space of Nothingness
First single by the duo Myllenium Capella co-founded by Saria & Moncef Zahrouni back in 2015.
The song's satirical lyrics criticising the anal tests gay people in Tunisia are still subjected to in order prove their homosexuality was illustrated by a sarcastic video clip that the duo devised as a lampoon.
The video depicts the story of an imaginary country that in order to control its citizens rectums, introduces through its interior ministry a small chip to be anally transplanted to keep an eye on all possible use case scenarios of every resident's rectum.
Space of Nothingness- (M)ass Terrorism came as a response to the Tunisian government scandalous indifference towards human rights since the “Jasmin Revolution” has taken place. Though Tunisia won the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, LGBT+ people are still persecuted, free thinkers jailed, free lovers harassed, day dreamers oppressed, weed smokers severely sentenced and terrorists justified. The song goes farther to draw a livid painting of a world made of unsurpassable absurdities confining the human existence to an absolute nonsense.
2015
The Night Drive Experience
The Night drive experience is a volume of 10 poems published online on the plateform medium.com.
2012
The Black-Rosed Stage
The Black-Rosed Stage is the promotional tour in support of The Black-Rosed Hills album.
Bibouddha put up a theatrical show where each musician embodied a stage persona and where video played a substantial role to the whole stage design.
Eventually, the show was preluded by a live dance-theater choreography and a poem recitation took place as an interlude.
Bibouddha founding members designed all graphic material for the tour and album. They also created the 8 stage videos that were screened during the show. Visual identity is a key DNA component is the Bibouddha project.
2010
2011
Bibouddha and The Black-Rosed Hills
Bibouddha is a Tunisian rock band co-founded by Moncef Zahrouni and Habib Tammar back in 2010.
The two artists collaboration gave birth to a music album and a series of concerts.
The Black-Rosed Hills is a 12-track experimental ambient rock album released in 2011 by the Tunisian rock band Bibouddha and produced by Chabane's Records Paris and Sirius Music Tunis. The album was written and composed by Habib Tammar and Moncef Zahrouni and featured 3 female singers: Aya Phantasmogoria, Nadja and Myllenium Capella.
The album sat a dark tone evoking several tragic themes such as death/suicide, human condition, dark romance, melancholia and psychedelia. Album sales revenues were donated to a charity.
Album Booklet can be checked here.
2010
Rouge-Noir
Rouge-Noir (Red/Black) is a comedy play directed by Naoufel Azara. He participated to the artwork as a dramatist and actor.
