Carol Martin, Guest Editor CriticalActs In the Dark Sex, Lies, and Fake News in ’s

Alisa Zhulina Sniderman

Of course, another reason for my hesitancy was that The Merchant of Venice (1605), Othello needs I knew all too well how easy it is for Iago to steal the performance to both shed light on its complic- play: it may be Othello’s tragedy, but it is Iago’s play. ity in spreading racist stereotypes and on rein- An actor of skill, given ample material to charm an venting the text for the new millennium. One audience, will charm that audience. trend has been to assemble a diverse cast that — Hugh Quarshie, “Playing Othello” (2016) includes several actors of color, particularly in the roles of Emilia, Cassio, and Iago, so that During the bombardment [of East Aleppo], TV the theme of the cultural construction of race is networks and many newspapers appeared to lose not left on Othello’s shoulders alone. Another interest in whether any given report was true or false has been to shift the emphasis from race to and instead competed with one another to publicise war and its debilitating effects on the collective the most eye-catching atrocity story [...]. consciousness, as was the choice of Nicholas — Patrick Cockburn, “Who Supplies the News?” Hytner’s 2013 production for the National (2017) Theatre. Sam Gold’s intelligent 2016/17 pro- duction of Othello at the New York Theatre “Does the willing suspension of disbelief really Workshop put both themes — that of war and mean that I should accept that a play writ- of cultural identity­ — in dialogue by exploring ten over four hundred years ago by a white the politics of perception and the dissemination Englishman for another white Englishman in of fake news. blackface make-up is an authoritative and cred- “Please do not walk onto the stage,” ible profile of a genuine black man?” asks the instructed the ushers as the audience mem- Ghanaian-born British actor Hugh Quarshie, bers took their seats in the wooden bleachers revealing the anxiety over racism that William erected around three sides of the set’s contem- Shakespeare’s Othello (1604) has elicited porary military barracks (designed by Andrew throughout its performance history (Quarshie Lieberman). At first, I took this as a simple 2016). According to Quarshie, who finally warning against accidently stepping on one overcame his longtime unease with the part of the many unmade mattresses strewn over in 2015, when he took the title role in Igbal the floor along with the radios, laptops, cell- Khan’s production for the Royal Shakespeare phones, and other personal belongings of the Company, Othello requires “a radical re-­reading characters. But after hearing one of the ush- of key passages” (Quarshie 1999:21). Like ers repeat — “you’d be surprised how often

Alisa Zhulina Sniderman is Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow in the Drama Department at NYU Tisch and holds a PhD from Harvard University. Her work has appeared in Theatre Journal and Modern Drama. She is currently completing a manuscript on the importance of theatrical thinking and performativity in shaping the economic discourse of the 19th and 20th centuries. [email protected]

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Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Critical Acts 129 - “men should provides a defi- a provides — — , one of the Thoughts about Othello, Second In /Redux). Times The New York be what they seem” (3, 3:149) (3, seem” they what be Charismatic ant alternative to Iago’s nihilism. , the in Gold’s production of Othello, words, movie audience can be rendered speechless by a even if that charisma is in the star’s charisma, mass murder. and war, service of duplicity, main issues that Hugh Quarshie takes with main issues that Hugh Quarshie takes with the stereotype of Othello is not his violent a char rage but rather his innocent credulity, acteristic that Quarshie believes diminishes “It is Othello’s credu- Othello’s tragic effect: lity which alienates him from our sympathy, soci- Venetian as his color alienates him from And Shakespeare seems to suggest that his ety. his jeal- color and his race explain his credulity, in our era Yet, (1999:14). ousy and his violence” credulity “alternative facts,” and “fake news” of Gold’s not Othello alone. belongs to all of us, production underscores how often we suspend while whether in the theatre or our disbelief, People choose what to believe watching CNN. and when to remain silent in the presence of imbues Moreover, charisma. his Othello with such nobility and idealism that it makes it hard to see him as a naïve simpleton. Othello’s leap of faith Instead, - Figure 1. Othello (David Oyelowo) laments the death of Desdemona Oyelowo) laments the death of Desdemona Figure 1. Othello (David Gold’s production of Shakespeare’s Othello (Rachel Brosnahan). Sam 21 November 2016. (Photo by Theatre Workshop, at the New York Sara Krulwich/

1 a “haunting,” “haunting,” a — - I was reminded of I was reminded —

century French war nov- century French

Gold’s production made this For examples see Philip C. Kolin, “Blackness Made Visible: A Survey of Othello in Criticism, on Stage, and on For examples see Philip C. Kolin, “Blackness Made Visible: ” (2002). 1. to borrow Marvin Carlson’s term, of Craig’s to borrow Marvin Carlson’s term, Moreover, Bond past (Carlson 2001). James trans- Craig’s recently put-on muscular weight and formed him into a human killing machine emphasized the fascist ideology that celebrates Shaw noted in the Tamsin As war as beautiful. Craig’s interpreta- Review of Books, York New tion of Iago does not attempt to explain Iago’s “complex psychological motivations through such as a repressed homoerotic contrivances,” rather but desire for David Oyelowo’s Othello, “laughter per and in “sadistic delight” revels in (Shaw 2016). mitted by moral indifference” Craig sure looked like he was having a jolly good time playing Shakespeare’s most notori- The unapologetic charm and cha- ous villain. risma that Craig’s Iago embraced made Gold’s “the neces- Shaw puts it, Tamsin as Othello, In other (2016). sary production for our times” ing a performance in Baltimore in ing a performance in at the actor a soldier shot 1822, to save playing Othello in order 1962:22). Desdemona’s life ([1823] origi- This desire to intervene posi- nates from the particular Not only do tion of the spectators. but Othello, we know more than in Iago’s we also become complicit Machiavellian machinations by allowing him to speak to us directly. complicity explicit when Iago, played with devious delight by , addressed the audience during the infamous that says I play the vil- then, what’s he, “And Iago climbed up 3:356–82). soliloquy (2, lain” the the bleachers to stand at the same level as The audience and began to work his magic. proximity of the star’s body to the audience created an unsettling seduction elist Marie-Henri Beyle, known known Beyle, elist Marie-Henri Stendhal, better by his pseudonym, dur how, for example, recounts, ­ The 19th- it happens” how often audiences have tried to audiences have tried how often of Othello interrupt performances its production history. throughout Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 130 Critical Acts more importantly, theirsenseofsuperior only withspectators’senseofsightbutalso, and darkness, seeingandnotseeing, playsnot In otherwords, thevisualplaybetweenlight ousy willstirinOthelloastheplayunfolds. sensations ofdoubtanddisorientationthatjeal- audience toexperience, howeverbriefly, the accomplishes itsownethicaltask;itforcesthe ness thatlightingdesignerJaneCoxconjures the playsuggestsnighttime. The pitchdark- eral confusionofthecharactersatstart “Light, Isay, light” (1, 1:160)andthegen- given thedramaticsetting. Brabantiodemands tor’s aestheticchoicemakestheatricalsense Then darknessagain. Ofcourse, thedirec- off hershirtandjoinsOthelloonhismattress. to sleep. Desdemona(RachelBrosnahan)takes dier takesoffhisrealprostheticlegandgoes glimpses ofthecharacters’movements. A sol- the darknesstoteaseoursightandgiveus character’s laptoporcellphonecutsthrough ing thefirstscene. Anoccasionallightfroma repeatedly plungesthemintodarknessdur out oftheircertaintythatGoldliterallyand doubt becauseheloves. will” (1, 3:377);insecureOthellograppleswith is “a lustofthebloodandapermission/ Iago believesinnothingbecauseforhimlove 2017:39). of black, whichhappens by surprise” ([2015] tom ofignorance. All knowledge isknowledge disclose knowledge: “White is merelythephan- darkness thatcansimultaneouslyconcealand of theblackrace, Badiouarguesthatblackis ical constructions, suchastheracistcreation “non-color’s” negativeassociationsarehistor tant conceptinepistemology. Notingthatthe recent reevaluationofblacknessasanimpor also echoesFrenchphilosopher Alain Badiou’s (2003:7). Inthis manner,belief” Gold’sOthello educated guesswork, hypothesis, construction, the worldcanhaveatbeststatusofopinion, that whatweholdinourmindstobetrueof “that trueknowledgeisbeyondthehumanself, hallmark ofShakespeareantragedyinthesense ing skepticismis, accordingtoStanleyCavell, a (3,search for 3:412).“ocular proof” The result- ity. LikeOthello, audiencesareplungedintoa 2. Perhaps itispreciselytojolthisspectators Michael Sextonserved asdramaturg. - - - - Othello alreadyshowedhowthenews could news, aswithreportingfrom SyriaandIraq, ern technologycoulddisseminate fabricated can becomebelievable. Centuriesbeforemod- ous speedwithwhichmisleadinginformation ing areliablenewssourceandthedanger Othello showsboththedifficultyoffind- ence ofDesdemona. Presciently, Shakespeare’s Venice thatmovesOthellotoangerinthepres- is somethingintheletterbearingnewsfrom 4, 1:243). Moreover, Lodovicoassumesthere with asimple “What’s thenews” (3, 4:127 and (David Wilson Barnes)abouttheirwell-being (Finn Wittrock) andlaterhercousinLodovico and private, aswhenDesdemonaasksCassio cerning thewarbetween Venice and Turkey, getting thecorrectnews, bothpublic, con- Indeed, charactersinOthelloareobsessedwith already aproblemfortheEarlyModernworld. (1, 3:23–24). Inotherwords, fakenewswas on “a ­ tors warnstheDukethat Turks areputting and turningonIago’sunabashedcharmuncov manipulated itsaudiencebyturningoffthelight with thatofpublictruth. tion, connectingthethemeofpersonalidentity as thepolesofnavigationforentireproduc “What isthenews?” (1, 2:41) very firstquestionthatOthelloasksCassio uttered indarkness sion tobelievehim. Two simplequestions, both name, Brabantiohastomaketheconsciousdeci are you?” (1, 1:104). When Roderigostateshis his nameandthelatterresponds, “Not I, what asks Brabantio(GlennFitzgerald)ifheknows unreliable, aswhenRoderigo(MatthewMaher) to eachotherandus. Yet voicetooproves igate thestageandtomakethemselvesknown gives themcredit” position inthesenews,” saystheDuke, “That from secondhandaccounts. characters piecingtogetherinternationalnews with Gold’sversion, thesescenesinvolveminor usually cutforthesakeoftime, aswasthecase Turkish fleet(1, 3:1–55and2, 1:1–47). Although where Venetians discussthemaneuversof ered theimportanceofthosescenesinOthello In thedark, actorsmustrelyonvoicetonav The waythatthisparticularproduction pageant / To keep [them] infalsegaze” (1, 3:1–2). Oneofthesena- — “what areyou?” 2 “There isnocom — may wellserve

— and the - — - - - - - Critical Acts 131 -

4 - - - ’s production history, Othello’s production history, Throughout Othello mentions being “sold to slavery”), to slavery”), “sold being Othello mentions bio- before the modern Othello was composed 3:160). (1, surrounding race logical discourse came not only Moors time, In Shakespeare’s and from the but also from Spain Africa, from as “Moor,” term the very Thus, Middle East. “Moor is elastic: explains, Anthony Barthelemy black non-black Muslim, then, can mean, The only cer or black Muslim. Christian, tainty a reader has when he sees the word is tainty a reader has when to is not a European that the person referred According to Ayanna (1987:7). Christian” “Arab” use of the word today’s Thompson, context has a simi- in the US and the UK “for some it will signify lar function in that it will signify a reli- for others an ethnicity, others it will signify a lin- for gious affiliation, and for still others it will signify guist grouping, David Oyelowo performs (2016:26). a race” Othello’s Otherness with a slight Nigerian alluding both to Othello’s Muslim iden- accent, tity and to his own Nigerian background. Othello’s Otherness has often been inter tle, dog, or whale” and “[i]t is man and man “[i]t is man and or whale” dog, tle, alone who opened the case against black” By performing the identity ([2015] 2017:90). of a Muslim who marries outside of his faith, Oyelowo adds yet another layer to Othello’s of In contrast to Quarshie’s fears alienation. Othello being unsympathetic because of his preted as a marker of race, thereby rein preted as a marker of race, scribing the construction of black as a race. “has no bone nature as Badiou notes, Yet, bee whether it be coal, to pick with black, Marsha Stephanie Blake, an African American African an Marsha Stephanie Blake, Is from Orange familiar to the audience actor, The plays the role of Emilia. , the New Black role of Bianca (Nikki Massoud) is transformed prostitute to a Muslim woman Venetian from a war- wearing a headscarf trying to survive in a somewhere in the Middle East of the torn land, The production thereby becomes present day. as much about diverse interracial relationships as it is about Othello’s racial identity.

3

The problem is, of course, as ancient as the as of course, is, The problem Another site of speculation is blackness as Although the Portuguese had already For the problem of fabricated news coming from contemporary Syria and Iraq, see Patrick Cockburn, “Who Supplies For the problem of fabricated news coming from contemporary Syria and Iraq, see Patrick Cockburn, the News?” (2017). mentions that “[t]o win the as Iago There is some evidence that Othello is a Muslim who converted to Christianity, weren’t to renounce his baptism, / All seals and symbols of redeemed sin” (2, 3:342–44). Moor, 4. 3. art of storytelling. As Ian Smith notes, “Othello “Othello notes, As Ian Smith art of storytelling. tragic con- classic Shakespearean presents a by a rival storyteller undone ceit: the master whose baseless fictions are Iago, storyteller, 3:341) poured into (2, ‘pestilence’ the intended Stephen Greenblatt (2016:111). Othello’s ear” “to ensnare that Iago spins reads the web of lies 1:183–84) as the (2, as / great a fly as Cassio” That is, Iago “does process of “fictionalization.” or even reasonably accu- not need a profound All Iago his victims.” rate understanding of “the master plots of needs is the knowledge beau- “a young, that that dictate of comedy” would tire of her gentlewoman Venetian tiful to old outlandish husband and turn instead (Greenblatt young lieutenant” the handsome, anxi- this In performance, [1980] 2005:234). and deception hearsay, ety over information, but also in plays out not only in the tragic plot, the comic choice of having the soldiers dance hip hop hit a 2015 “Hotline Bling,” to Drake’s and jealousy in partic- about the way feelings, most casual and can creep into even the ular, “Ever undefined of amorous arrangements: got a reputation for You / since I left the city, left yourself now / Everybody knows and I feel (Graham [Drake] 2016). out” of the rac- Aware a color assigned to people. ism in the history of casting the title role, Gold’s which included the use of blackface, Othello explores the meaning of black across several identities and foregrounds the play’s encounters between Christianity and Islam. Gold’s production engages in the For example, archaeological work of unearthing the many layers behind the meaning of the word Moor. What did it signify for Shakespeare’s audience and what does it mean today? completed the first transatlantic slave voy- Americas in 1526 (and Africa to the age from

be manipulated through the vicissitudes of through the vicissitudes be manipulated marine transportation. Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 132 11 January 2017.(PhotobyJoanMarcus). in secret.Othello,directedbySamGold.NewYork TheatreWorkshop, Figure 2.Bianca(NikkiMassoud)visitsherloverCassio(FinnWittrock) Critical Acts ality, andclass. Thus, Othellogiveshiswhite play sectional objectconnectsseveral threadsofthe private withthepublic. This chargedandinter as aheadscarfwhosetextureinterweaves the infamous handkerchief, which appearsonstage the moretorturousgivenhisroleasoppressor. her feelingsforCassio, whicharerenderedall 15). Hersellingofsexisnotincompatiblewith nuanced portrayalofanativewoman(4, 1:113– clothes” and “dotes onCassio” unveilsamore / Buys herselfbreadand by sellingherdesires Iago’s descriptionofBiancaasa “huswife that ically relevantbackground. Inthisnewlight, tly acquirespsychologicaldepthandapolit- the faithfulDesdemona, Bianca’scharactersub- Fabian). Insteadoffunctioningasamerefoilto itary costumes(DavidZinn)andprops(Kathy Farsi, andthroughtheuseofpresent-daymil- Bianca, whobreaksatcertainmomentsinto ther emphasizedthroughthecharacterof him forbeing Muslim. tainty inasocietythatisprejudicedagainst because hebravelychoosesthatpathofuncer embodies araciststereotypeofdupe, but and lovesthosearoundhimnotbecausehe haunting effect. Oyelowo’sOthellotrusts and tenacioustenderness, whichleavesa trust andloveradiateswithdelicatestrength innocent credulity, Oyelowo’s­ This interpretationalsopoliticizestheplay’s The connectiontotheMiddleEastisfur — gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexu- performance of - - - manifold factions(5, 2:413–15). the awarenessofSyriancivilwarandits traduced thestate” couldnothelpbutsummon nant andaturbaned Turk /Beata Venetian and the line “that in Aleppo once, / Where amalig- Othello delivershislastpoignantmonologue, finally breaktheirsilence. are enmeshedinthatnetorwhether theywill have sosuspendedtheirdisbelief thattheytoo is posedattheendwhether spectators plicity withmassmurder. The questionthat ination offakenewsandinthe silentcom- of fictionalizationtakesplaceinthedissem- sure ofhisknowingaudience. A similarprocess and intoyingwithcharactersallfortheplea- ist whodelightsinweavingthewebofplot spotlight, Iagoappearsasastand-infortheart- twisted kindofaestheticpleasure. Inthelast tic delight” orcharm(Shaw2016). Itisalsoa Craig’s actingissomethingmorethan “sadis- pleasure thenthattheaudienceseesinDaniel always alreadytouchedbydeath(3, 4:86). The “[D]yed inmummy,” thehandkerchief was / That shallenmeshthemall” (2, 3:381–82). the latterspinsthroughoutplay nects withIago’swebofmisinformationthat (3, 4:81)ofDesdemona’shandkerchiefcon- handkerchief. Thus, the “magic intheweb” to mindtheimageofamilitarytentand ered withonehuge, blood-soakedsheet, brings templating thedeadbodiesofhisvictims, cov- The lasttableau, whichfeaturesIagocon- tion’s politicalangle, sothatwhen the endemphasizesthisproduc- Iago’s brutalmurderofBiancaat a cryofdefiance(4, 1:176). And on’t!) transformsajealousquipinto for Cassio(“I’lltakeoutnowork Bianca’s refusaltocopythepattern by thesamepopulationitexploits. fetishizes handcraftedobjectsmade omy thatneedswarasitsmotorand oppressed mustperforminanecon- ible laborthatBiancaandallthe pattern, butalsotheinvis- carf’s not onlythebeautyofheads- “have itcopied” (3, 4:218)reveal and Cassio’srequesttoBianca “have theworkta’enout” (3, 3:340) versy inthe West. Emilia’sdesireto to Islamandasourceofcontro- Christian wifeanobjectpivotal — “the net Critical Acts 133 Engaging again with India 2 Les Euménides) featured spectacular and

[Twelfth Night]; 1981) to La Nuit des rois [Twelfth Chipping Campden: Printed for the International Printed for the Chipping Campden: Hill Printers. Clouds Association, Shakespeare Writers. and Renaissance Shakespeare Literature: www.bl.uk 2017. Accessed 21 July British Library. /shakespeare/articles/playing-othello. York: New Werstine. Mowat and Paul A. Barbara Square Press. Washington Accessed 21 14 December. Review of Books, York www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/12/14 July 2017. /iago-problem-choosing-evil-othello/. Quarterly Shakespeare in Early Modern Studies.” 1:104–24. 67, Cromwell- York: New by Guy Daniels. Translated Collier Press. edited by E.A.J. Shakespeare, William by Bloomsbury York: New 1–116. Honigmann, Arden Shakespeare. as catalyst, the Soleil’s latest collective creation, creation, the Soleil’s latest collective as catalyst, [The Indiad or India of rêves ou l’Inde de leurs - Their Dreams]; 1987) as well as choreogra Atreus]; 1991 phy (Les Atrides [The House of and some of the Soleil’s most celebrated and inno- vative productions. . about Othello Thoughts Second 1999. Hugh. Quarshie, Discovering Othello.” “Playing 2016. Hugh. Quarshie, Edited by Othello. (1604) 1993. William. Shakespeare, The New Iago Problem.” “The 2016. Tamsin. Shaw, Race Are Othello: Speaking of “We 2016. Ian. Smith, Racine and Shakespeare. (1823) 1962. Stendhal. Introduction to Othello 2016. Ayanna. Thompson, Les Choéphores,

1 The Brilliance The Brilliance Iphigénie à Aulis, Aeschylus’s Agamemnon,

dealt with the partition of India and the assassination of Gandhi, Les Atrides (which included L’Indiade

. Translated by Susan Spitzer. Susan Spitzer. by Translated . of a Non-Color Polity. Cambridge: in of Blacks The Representation Maligned Race: to Southerne. Shakespeare from English Drama State University Press. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Ann Arbor: as Memory Theatre Machine. Press. University of Michigan Cambridge: 2nd ed. , of Shakespeare Plays Seven Press. Cambridge University The London Iraq.” Misreporting in Syria and 3 (2 February):7–9. Review of Books 39, Cash Money Money Entertainment, Young , Views and Republic Records. Records, Chicago: to Shakespeare. More From Fashioning: University of Chicago Press. and on on Stage, Survey of Othello in Criticism, edited by , In Othello: New Critical Essays Screen.” London: Routledge. 1–87. Kolin, Philip C. Euripides’s In an interview with Eric Prenowitz, Cixous, an eminent intellectual and artist and the company writer, explains the In an interview with Eric Prenowitz, Cixous, an eminent intellectual and artist and the company writer, world, a place of India in the Soleil’s work: “Asia is not Asia. It is theatre-Asia. I am always talking about another a giant cavern of images” (2004:19). second world: it is not a realistic continent, it is a reservoir, choral work inspired by bharatanatyam dancing. Bharatanatyam was also important to the movement patterns in the Night. Soleil’s production of Twelfth 1. 2. While Inspirational in terms of the forms and sto- sparking images to capture ries it has provided, India the abundance and chaos of our world, has contributed history and legend (L’Indiade References Black: 2017. (2015) Alain. Badiou, Black Face, Face, Black 1987. Anthony Gerard. Barthelemy, The The Haunted Stage: 2001. Marvin. Carlson, in Disowning Knowledge 2003. Stanley. Cavell, “Who Supplies the News?: 2017. Patrick. Cockburn, “Hotline Bling.” 2015. Aubrey (Drake). Graham, Renaissance Self- (1980) 2005. Stephen. Greenblatt, A Visible: “Blackness Made 2002. Philip C. Kolin,

Une Chambre en Inde Une Chambre en Inde Judith G. Miller and Rachel M. Watson (never just “India” As Hélène Cixous tells us, for creativity of source a been forever has India) Soleil. Théâtre du Ariane Mnouchkine and Le The Soleil Stages Terrorism and Much More The Soleil Stages Terrorism Exorcism, Autobiography, and and Exorcism, Autobiography, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 134 Critical Acts projections, andtrauma. lishes onstageamindscape Une Chambre enInde(ARoominIndia), estab- [email protected] theories oftextualityandembodiment astheyrelatetodramaticwritingandperformance. as anexperimentaltoolforestablishing newformsofspectatorship.Hercurrentinterestsinclude theatre, text,andperformance. Hermaster’sthesisontheThéâtreduSoleilinvestigatedspace Rachel M.Watson isadoctoralstudentatNYU,where shestudies20th-and21st-centuryFrench Africa. [email protected] Guadeloupe in1967.Sheiscurrently workingonanotheranthologyofplaysfromFrancophone The Restless,atranslationofGertyDambury’snovelabouttheconstruction workers’strikein Seven PlaysbyKoffiKwahulé,withChantalBilodeau(UniversityofMichiganPress,2017),and Liking, OlivierKemeid,andKoffiKwahulé.)Herlatestpublications includeInandOutofAfrica: has translatedsome20playsfromtheFrench(includingworks byHélèneCixous,Werewere NYU AbuDhabi.SheistheauthorofnumerousarticlesonFrench andFrancophonetheatre Judith G.MillerisCollegiateProfessorofFrenchatNYUandAffiliate ofLiteratureat La Ville Parjurefrom 1979andLaVille in 2003, andincludingMéphisto(Mephisto) caravansérailLe Dernier (TheLastCaravansary) tion ofhappiness)in1970, toitsmorerecent The revolutionmustonlystopattheperfec- tion doits’arrêter àlaperfectiondubonheur(1789: collective work, forexample, 1789:Larévolu- and responsiblecitizenship. Fromitsearliest tulating thepossibilityofutopiancommunity drums andhorrorswhile, atthesametime, pos- engage bothlocalandglobalpoliticalconun- Théâtre duSoleilhasmadetheatrepiecesthat existence, theFrench-basedbutcosmopolitan global imaginary. torments theFrench, andmorebroadly, the the sitewithinwhichSoleilexploreswhat room suiteinanIndianhousehold (Ephemera; 2006), anotherroom ing roomsintheirsoulfuldramaLesEphémères 6. 5. 4. 3. January 2015. Jewish shoppersatakoshergrocerystoreand12cartoonistsfromtheweekly satiricalmagazine,CharlieHebdoin of theFrenchgovernmenttocontrolterrorism,especiallyastheyfollowed on theheelsofassassination stopped byaSWAT team.TheseattackshavetraumatizedmanyFrenchpeopleandstrainedtheirfaithintheability and invadedtheBataclanconcerthall,wheretheykilled130concert-goers and wounded350morebeforebeing off suicidebombsatasoccermatchjustoutsideofParis,wentonshootingspreeinthe11tharrondissement, On 13November2015severalarmedmen,proclaimingtheirloyaltytotheIslamistRevolution,attemptedset Naufragés duFolEspoir(ThéâtreSoleil2010). Caravansérail (2003),andLesEphémères(2006)havenotbeenpublished;thereisapublishedscriptfor Scripts fortheSoleil’scollectivecreationsLesClowns(1969),Etsoudaindesnuitsd’éveil(1997),LeDernier blood andtheformerforunderplayingsituation,weretargetedcondemned. where bothPresidentFrançoisMitterandandDr. MichelGarretta,thelatterresponsibleforcirculatingcontaminated through collusionorlazinesshavecontributedtocatastropheinFrance.ThiswasespeciallytrueofLaVille Parjure , The companyhasnotshiedawayfromcritiquingdirectlythosegovernmentrepresentativesorpeopleinpowerwho This reviewisbasedonperformancesseen17and18December2016,24March2017,20April2017. For thelast50years, indeedthesumofits 3 Likethemanyliv- — a spaceofdreams, ou leréveil des — — here abed- becomes and humangreed. sought awayoutofcapitalistexploitation, war, companies andthegovernment, andgenerally ical practitionersinleaguewithpharmaceutical collusion withracistideologies, lambastedmed- Asian (andother)refugees, decriedfascismand highlighted theterrifyingsituationofCentral France’s failuretoestablishaviabledemocracy, the Erinyes)from1994, theSoleilhasskewered Erinyes (ThePerjuredCityorthe Awakening of the companychallengesitselftofacequestions the November2015terroristattacksinParis, tion, conceptualizedinthemonthsfollowing belongs tothislattercategory. Inthisproduc- of MadHope], 2010). Les Naufragés duFol Espoir[TheShipwrecked Suddenly, Nightsof Awakening], 1997;and Clowns], 1969;Etsoudaindesnuitsd’éveil [And role oftheartistinsociety(LesClowns[The created ametatheatricalmeditationonthe cultivating abetterworld, theSoleilhasalso ment withthelittleprogressmadetowards On occasion, fueledbyitsowndisappoint- 4 5

Une Chambre en Inde 6

Critical Acts 135 - - Intercultural per 9 In this piece, the Soleil engages in a new the Soleil In this piece, Une Chambre The plethora of interests in Une Chambre , this production , Le Dernier Caravansérail former takes the stage alongside permanent former takes the stage alongside permanent members of the company. kind of intercultural work, in which India work, kind of intercultural metaphorical figure of instead of the itself, creativity and inspiration, as source of “India” per is theatrically rendered; and a terukkuttu ing the bedroom space and those around her space and those ing the bedroom These bio- and steady hand. with a confident the visionary, of Mnouchkine graphical echoes can accom- the self-doubt that racked with Mnouchkine and creative work, pany exacting her and unwavering in fearless the leader, both life of her company, orchestration of the in this room des- take their place onstage, Madame Additionally, ignated for intimacy. by introducing into the play- Murti’s character, political and social ing space specific Indian to stage something of allows the Soleil issues, contemporary India. en Inde intersect in and emerge from the mind - space represented onstage by the Indian bed filled with Cornélia’s This space, room suite. gives form and and visions, nightmares, dreams, art- language to the mental process of a theatre The imagined or ist’s search for her next play. ranging from fleshed-out dreamed moments, also de-centers the French language: actors also de-centers the French language: actors Arabic, Russian, Tamil, perform in English, the needs depending on and Japanese, French, and not on the actor’s mother of the scene, itself The Soleil understands language tongue. when as a form of mask: actors don a language - appropriate; supertitles translate other lan guages into French. formance in this piece blends certain comic formance in this piece blends certain comic techniques and stances from terukkuttu with As was true gestures from Italian commedia. of - - The Soleil seeks specifically The Soleil 7 Moreover, elements of the com- elements of the Moreover, performers from Tamil Tamil terukkuttu performers from 8

If Cornélia loosely reflects Mnouchkine Their improvisational skills honed from, skills honed from, Their improvisational Une Chambre en Inde is unpublished. Notes from viewing the production several times serve as the basis for our translations of the dialogue. India, where they worked on this Ariane Mnouchkine and the Soleil spent the month of January 2016 in Pondicherry, Sambandan Thambrian and his student production and also took classes with terukkuttu master Kalaimamani P.K. Nadu, learning the vocal and dance techniques of this very old and popular dance drama Palani Murugan from Tamil performers generally train intensively for four years, and begin as apprentices in a company. form. Terukkuttu language. They frequently Performances are usually held outdoors, in villages in the south of India, and in the Tamil feature the episodes of the Mahabharata that focus on the character Draupadi. continued Palani Murugan accompanied the Soleil back to France, helped create the play through improvisations, the training the Paris-based actors in terukkuttu dancing and singing, and performed a variety of roles during performance, including the role of Krishna. 8. 9. pany’s biography and of Mnouchkine’s own pany’s biography and of Mnouchkine’s own career path are injected into the performance in repeated scenes of the central character’s anxiety over how to go forward theatrically: can- the reluctant director, Character Cornélia, not find her vision. - and her unending quest to guide the com - pany towards relevant narratives and inno so too does the character of the vative forms, wel- who has Madame Murti, Indian hostess, - command comed the company into her home, to come to grips with what it means to do pro- grips with what it means to come to where in a world in shambles: gressive theatre truck, children and knife, terrorist cults seduce metropolitan France; and gun attacks strike rule grown women; where fathers and brothers thinking replaces where fundamentalist and where advanced tech- thoughtful dialogue; breeches in under nology creates cataclysmic to locate a self. standing and in the ability this piece turns to Surprisingly and daringly, for the weary and a satir humor as both a balm ical arm. 20 or more years of working in some cases, Théâtre du Soleil, the 32 actors of the together, and muse, guide, with Mnouchkine as director, have created and curated some 30 episodes resulting in dealing with the above questions, only an eclectic assemblage that gives shape not but also to four seg- to these pressing concerns, the latter performed , ments of the Mahabharata with by actors from the Soleil who have trained professional India. Nadu,

7. essential to engaged theatre-making; the text engaged theatre-making; essential to purpose do we “What itself asks, of the play of theatre when “What is the role and serve” dying?” people are Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 136 2016. (PhotobyMichèleLaurent) Une ChambreenInde,directedbyArianeMnouchkine.ThéâtreduSoleil, Duryodhana, andDominiqueJambertEveDoeBruceasstagehands. invaded byterukkuttuperformers,withSébastianBrottet-MichelasKing Figure 1.Cornélia(HélèneCinque)wakinguptoseeherdreamspace Critical Acts 10. trying tomakesenseoftoday’schaoticworld. Cornélia andthepublicexperiencetaskof tor toparticipateinthissearch, andtogether political theater” (ThéâtreduSoleil2016:n.p.). the search “for aresolutelycontemporaryand and thetheatricaldreamsvisionsstages the pushandpullbetweenworldoutside distorted, andrendereddream-like. Ultimately, side worldisinternalizedandthenreprocessed, artistic processbywhichsomethingoftheout- the other. The resultisanillustrationofthe at timestheyareindistinguishableonefrom always clearlydelineated:attimestheyoverlap, modes looselystructuresthework, theyarenot reality. While analternationbetweenthesetwo ative theatricalmusingandoneofpresent-day two modesareestablishedonstage:oneofcre- with newsfromthevillage. As aconsequence, a faxmachinebuzzes, MadameMurtiappears ity oftheoutsideworld the set, areperiodicallyinterruptedbythereal- the stagefrommanywindowsanddoorsof sketches tohuman-sizemonkeysburstingonto Une Chambre enIndeinvitesthespecta- tragedy centraltoeach playechothepoliticaltensionsroiling manyEuropeancountriestoday. repertory atLaComédieFrançaisein Paris inthefallof2016.Inbothinstances,fascistmentalityandsubsequent Damned withactorsfromLaComédieFrançaise, firstin Avignon intheHonor CourtinJuly2016,andthen at theThéâtredelaCollineaspartof the Festivald’Automne.IvovanHovestagedVisconti’s screenplayofThe Place desHéros(Heldenplatz)byThomasBernhard,directedKrystian Lupa,wasperformedinDecember2016 — the telephonerings, human spirit. eting historicalmoment, hopestorenewthe path, onethat, whileacknowledgingthedisqui- examples Damned of Visconti’sstaging The Bernhard’s HeldenplatzandIvovanHove’s Thomas like unconscious —works collective highlighted thefear, sadness, andanxietyinthe ous meditation. And inatheatreseasonthat site, the Théâtre duSoleiloffersaspaceofjoy- ing alongsubwayrideandthenbustothe Cartoucherie de Vincennes fromParis, tak- sands oftheatregoerswhotrekouttothe alent ofaspiritualpilgrimage. Forthethou- has alwaysmadeaSoleilproductiontheequiv- the workinasimilartrajectorytothatwhich icated tomockingineptterrorists tiveness exuberance oftheperformance, andtheinven- behind. Yet thevisualandauralrichness, the sometimes threatenstoleavetheaudience ductions, andwhosefeelingofoverabundance is lessobviousthaninpastMnouchkinepro- are muchlessclearlydrawn, whosemessage puters. The endproductisaworkwhoselines — — especially inthefarcicalscenesded- floods thestage. in whichacycloneofnewspapers yet beautifulstagednewsstorm evoked especiallywellinastartling of beinginundatedbytragedyis casts. The contemporaryfeeling in anever-flowing streamofbroad- as itreceivesmuchoftoday’snews events, anoceanofatrocities, just public issubmergedinariverof Over thecourseoffourhours, the whirs ofphones, faxes, andcom- guns andbombs, andtheclicks Indian dance, theblastsofmachine and windinstrumentsofsouthern at daybreak, thepercussivebells of anIndiancity, thecallsofbirds scape oftheshoutsandmurmurs ment accompaniedbyasound- the next, theconstantmove- events, onesceneblendsinto the Soleilboldlychoosesadifferent 10 In theoverallonslaughtof

stand outas — inscribes Critical Acts 137 - A skilled clown, Hélène Cinque, the play’s the play’s Hélène Cinque, A skilled clown, thanks to the interspersed Interestingly, Cornélia, waddles across the stage, collapses collapses waddles across the stage, Cornélia, and interrupts her cries for into deep sleep, help (“This can’t be happening!! I must be - dreaming!”) with sprints to the onstage bath room where her anxiety manifests as a diarrhea Grotesque but appealing in her dis- attack. a certain Cornelia’s excessiveness finds array, balance in the characterization of the earnest who Mme Murti (by Nirupama Nityanandan), for not sending castigates her rickshaw wallah protects her housemaid his daughter to school, Rani from being sold off to the highest bidder laments her lost and by Rani’s drunken father, ban- whom her brother violently a Sikh, love, their ished (as portrayed in a flashback) from Hindu home. household scenes with Mme Murti at their cen- thanks to what is specifically performed ter, and thanks to a par , from the Mahabharata ticular emphasis on women in the satire of Figure 2. Exterior of Le Théâtre du Soleil in the Cartoucherie de Figure 2. Exterior of Le , 2016. lit up for a performance of Une Chambre en Inde Vincennes, (Photo by Michèle Laurent)

11

The back story, delivered to delivered to The back story, traditional dance (and other) theatre throughout South and Southeast Asia. Cultural staples, the meandering and traditional dance (and other) theatre throughout South and Southeast Asia. Cultural staples, the meandering Hinduism’s ambiguous plots of these epics help to reinforce certain tenants of Hinduism, as well as highlighting evolution as a philosophy of life. The Mahabharata tells the story of two warring families who nearly destroy the In production, the Mahabharata, often several days long, takes its audience on a world in their quest for power. Brook and spiritual journey in which fundamental questions about what it means to be human are pondered. Peter extraordinary Jean-Claude Carrière produced an adaptation of this monumental work in 1988 that proved to be an 1987). theatrical experience but also provoked a good deal of controversy over cultural appropriation (see Dasgupta Anchoring and launching what hap- - in the first exposi the audience sit- (four scenes), tory episodes theatre company uates a French a Their director, India. stranded in has lost his Lear, certain Constantin November wits because of the 13 spree in 2015 terrorist his actors He has abandoned Paris. notion and embraced the deluded a sacred that he has turned into that will haunt white cow (an image both acts). the stage throughout daughter”/ “good the Cornélia, is tasked with assistant director, figuring taking over his job and for the local out what to perform She must also Alliance Française. decide whether to continue pursu- ing the company’s research into the traditional terukkuttu performances . of the Mahabharata 11. The Mahabharata, with the Ramayana, is one of two Sanskrit Indian epics that provide characters and story for most pens from the big bed in which she dreams, pens from the big bed in which she dreams, her Cornélia calls on company members and elementary schoolteacher Madame Indian host, to help generate material for the new Murti, and Surreal episode upon surreal episode show. - dream sequence upon nightmare vision juxta rep- pose the improvised scenic suggestions for resenting Islamic fundamentalism or other cli- major world problems (water shortages, - mate change) with scenes of a possible teruk kuttu performance and with Cornélia’s creative “What lives do we save? Our annual dilemma: subsidy could feed an entire Indian family The reality outside punctures for 17 years.” Cornélia’s creative reverie in short sequences that give shape to her frenzied communications with French officials and the company’s Paris and longer ones that portray Mme producer, Murti’s angst-ridden supervision of her house- hold and her own grappling with patriarchy. Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 138 Critical Acts the fictionalcompany members. Desertter cous andslapstickofthesketches proposedby duction. Among theseare alsothemostrau- of themostmemorablemoments ofthepro- radicalization ofFrenchcitizens providessome mentalism, postcolonial immigration, andthe yards ofredcloth. ducing itself:Krishnatransformsitintoendless because hersarimiraculouslykeepsonrepro- not disrobeasorderedbytheevilKauravas, ing andprotestingDraupadidoesnotcan- from humiliation. Inakeyscene, thesing- Kauravas, andcallsonKrishnatoprotecther feckless husbands, refusestobowdownthe enemies, theKauravas, Draupadiscoldsher lost byherhusbandsinadicegamewiththeir ers, heroesoftheMahabharata. Havingbeen Draupadi, thewifeoffivePandavabroth- of theterukkuttuepisodesconcernfate woman andoccupiedbyanother, butalsothree space adistinctlyfeminineone, ownedbyone production todate. Notonlyisthebedroom as themostunabashedlyfeministofanySoleil ­terrorism, Michèle Laurent) her youth.UneChambreenInde,directedbyArianeMnouchkine.ThéâtreduSoleil,2016.(Photo Figure 3.MmeMurti(NirupamaNityanandan)danceswithherSikhlover(SeearKohi)inaflashbackto The nexusofepisodeshighlightingfunda- Une Chambre en Indemightbeseen - gates consultIcelandersabout how theymight damentalist notionsaboutgender, Saudidele- another sketchaimedattheobtuseness offun- a machinegunandmowsdown allthemen. In itude, aburka-cladfemale crewmembergrabs abominable). Outoffrustration withhisinept- “Sex beforemarriageisadorable” (insteadof in hiscondemnationofsexbeforemarriage: ing hislines, substitutingthewrongadjective to theidioticsuicidebomber, keepsblow- terous woman. The bunglingexecutioner, twin to filmamock-upoftheexecutionanadul- of Arabia1962 movieLawrence , jihadistsattempt Hairiness,” andtothesweepingmusicfrom the titled intheprogramas “Dreams ofPurityand ends upblastinghisownside. Inanepisode confusing thenumber “six” with “sex,” and punch intohistelephonecommand. Hekeeps not rememberthenumberheissupposedto American bunker. The martyr, however, can- cide bomberissentofftoblowupanadjacent he canexpectasareward, thedesignatedsui- kers. After bickeringabouthowmanyvirgins routine behindstoragecheststurnedintobun- rorists, forexample, lineupinaKeystone-cop Critical Acts 139 - - as well as the unsinkable optimism of — . At Anton . various Night points, Twelfth The final episode, a return to the farci- The final episode, from Chekhov, Akira Kurosawa, and the spirit of Akira Kurosawa, Chekhov, Indeed, also join the party. Artaud Antonin to resem- character costumed the director Lear, version of in Kurosawa’s film ble the Lear to the stage to join returns play, Shakespeare’s supporters who are forces with the terukkuttu a second Without trying to save their theatre. his samurai sword into Lear plunges thought, who announces that the real estate developer “That’s an actor jokes, theatre is inessential: This .” de théâtre what you call a Japanese version of the entire moment is a miniature intertextual punctuations production in which recall the many and intratheatrical pastiche on Mnouchkine and abiding artistic influences Such references pay Théâtre du Soleil. and the nour homage to how enduringly great theatre to it. ishes the artists and the public who attend And the persistent recurrence of the terukkuttu years an art form at least 300 musical scenes, old and itself symbolized by Draupadi’s infinite in signals the imperishability of theatre red sari, ­general Ariane Mnouchkine. cal mode that undergirds so much of the show, stages the thickness of time and a metathe- atrical (or in this case metacinematic) refer ence in a single remarkable image, one that one that ence in a single remarkable image, — Figure 4. The Indian bedroom is visited by “The Three Sisters” of Figure 4. The Indian bedroom is visited by “The Jambert, Andrea Chekhov who air out the room. From left: Dominique directed by Ariane Marchant, Alice Millequant. Une Chambre en Inde, by Michèle Laurent) Mnouchkine. Théâtre du Soleil, 2016. (Photo - - at least momentarily —

Not only the worrisome present Cartoon-like, silly, and amateurish, these and amateurish, silly, Cartoon-like, the fear of the terrorist other, while also con- other, the fear of the terrorist ily immigrant families, learns online ily immigrant families, that his buddy Mehdi has run off if necessary, to Syria and pledged, to kill his own mother in service Neither to the Islamist revolution. this kind playful nor regenerative, of sketch points to the failure of to a French republican secularism, and stalled model of assimilation, to France’s inability to take into account a multicultural society. but theatre history as well enlivens This results Cornélia’s mindscape. in a metatheatrical layering of references that of as the greats shake up chronological time, theatre history live in her consciousness along- Shakespeare and climate change. side DAESH is obviously present through references to King as Lear and his daughter Cordelia (Cornélia), well as through the projection of a filmed scene under the in which actors perform Richard III and through a Shakespearian bombs in Syria, impersonator who enters the playing space to watch the terukkuttu and listen to a ren- a song Death,” Away “Come dition of Feste’s and violence through sat- demning intolerance based on the other sketches, Nevertheless, ire. lives of fictional company members, as examine how ISIL (or DAESH, it is called in France) reaches into French homes through the inter an Yacine, net and social media. acting intern with Lear’s com- pany and a product of the French suburbs that now house primar invented figures of fundamentalism transform invented figures of fundamentalism with terrorism into Europeans’ daily concerns jokes that dissipate improve their international score on the gen- international score improve their roll their eyes, The Saudis scale. der equality faint away and heads in disbelief, shake their meet are realize the women they when they only because covered but instead, not veiled, zero in is 20 degrees below the temperature in fact, women are, and that these Iceland, human rights min- members of the esteemed the Saudis eagerly agree to when Worse, istry. they learn to Minister, meet with the Prime married to a man. their horror that he is Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 140 Critical Acts present. back oneachotherandtracethepastin encountered layeringofimagesthatreflect kind ofBenjaminianconstellation, asuddenly tion, thisimageoftheImam-Chaplincreatesa true ofmanymomentsintheSoleil’sproduc- 13. 12. ence withChaplin’sresonantwords. Soleil’s transformedImamaddressestheaudi- ing callforthoughtfulnessandresistance, the cal modeattheendoffilmtogivearous- head. JustasChaplinmovesoutofthetyranni- Chaplin turnsthefilm’ssatireofHitleronits Dictator, eventuallyarrivingatthepointwhere the CharlieChaplintyrantfigureinTheGreat grand speech. ButtheImamsoonmorphsinto cal Imam, pavingthewayforhimtogivea two clumsyjihadistsaccompanyingacomi- duction. The sceneportraysactorsinterpreting ­highlights theurgencythatenergizespro- (Photo byMichèleLaurent) directed byArianeMnouchkine.ThéâtreduSoleil,2016. suddenly callsforreasonandtolerance.UneChambreenInde, Figure 5.TheChaplinesqueImam(DuccioBellugi-Vannuccini) the aestheticandethicalcontinuitybetween the samefigure), thepubliccannothelpbutsee Chaplin thecomicandcritic layered image(Hitler, theIslamistImam, and du Soleilthatwelcomes thepublicintotheatre:“The worldistiredofthosewhohate.” heart. Thislastimagebringstolifethe Gandhiquotewrittenonthewallofentryhall/diningareaThéâtre mind—practiced infundamentalisms—with aloopysensibilitythatsuggeststhepossibilityofgentleopening the The palimpsesticnatureoftheChaplin imagefromTheGreatDictatormixesthehorrorofdictatorship the military troopstostartthinkingbefore acting. Jewish barberwhoispersecutedbyhis policies.Thebarberendsupimpersonatingthedictatorandencouraging his Chaplin filmedTheGreatDictatorin1940,playingboththeroleofdictator, asatiricaltakeonHitler, andthe 13 Confrontedwiththiscomplexand — all partof 12 As is As needed inthepresent moment. viding thepublicreleasesodesperately cow,” laughtermakestheatrerelevant bypro- ing Mnouchkinefrombecominga “sacred Reinvigorating theSoleil’sworkandsafeguard- endings offerthepossibilityofnewbeginnings. the darkerforcesthreateninghumankind;and of today’sworld;ridiculeefficientlycombats Une Chambre en Inde, theatresurvivesthehell in thefaceofcomplicatedglobalproblems. In especially iftheyarewillingto “start again” choosing howtoday’schallengeswillbemet, to considerthattheytoomighthavearolein The production, then, encouragesthepublic decide whichstorytotellandhowitwillend. the deadandlinkpeopletogetherbutalsoto celebrates theatre’scapacitynotonlytorevive noble figuresfromtheatrehistory, theSoleil live on. InthecompanyofChaplinandother nivalesque humorandenlightenedpolitics, thus locates initsart. The spiritofChaplin, hiscar the outrageandhopefulnessthatSoleil actors gatherforagroupembrace. word — final has sickenedmen’ssouls.” Onhis world andevacuatethepoisonthat his challenge “to fightforanew Imam isresurrectedandresumes Amidst callsto “start again,” the that theplaycannotendway. remaining actorsonstageprotest the nowopen-mindedImam, the this exhortationshortbyshooting erant machines.” When jihadistscut which menhaveturnedinto “intol- Imam’s condemnationofaworldin Chaplin andtheSoleilin niae both rebirth —indicate theatrical peace andunderstandinghis ing The rehearsaloftheImam’skill- — the silencingofhiscallsfor “Unite!” l o the of —all - Critical Acts 141 - presented as Lin Bo’s — ­

which included a “thank you” to Miao, to Miao, “thank you” which included a prisoners” . Paris: . à la perfection du bonheur doit s’arrêter Soleil. Théâtre du Paris: Éditions Théâtrales. en Inde. Chambre 1789: La révolution 1789: La révolution 1989. (1970) Soleil. Théâtre du Espoir. du Fol Les Naufragés 2010. Soleil. Théâtre du notes for Une Program 2016. Soleil. Théâtre du formance. Instead of programs, before the Instead of programs, formance. ­performance spectators got a handout explain- ing the installation: ing its 110-day life. The clips on display at ing its 110-day life. the La MaMa pop-up gallery showed 22 of “­ these were given to spectators as they left the per work. Not a word about Miao; programs for Not a word about Miao; programs work. Caught, 10, 10, - Figure 1. Lin Bo explaining his installation, “Jail Seeking Prisoners.” Figure 1. Lin Bo explaining his installation, “Jail 2016. (Photo by Carol Rosegg) La MaMa, New York, Performing Arts Performing Journal

3:9–16. of Hélène In Selected Plays with Hélène Cixous.” London: 1–24. Eric Prenowitz, edited by Cixous, Routledge. Paris: Théâtre du Soleil. Théâtre du Soleil. Paris: Théâtre du Soleil. Paris: Erinyes. Brook’s ‘Orientalism.’” Lin’s protest was imaginary, but the instal- Lin’s protest was imaginary, Prenowitz, Eric. 2004. “On Theatre: An Interview 2004. Eric. Prenowitz, References , rêves ou l’Inde de leurs L’Indiade 1987. Hélène. Cixous, des ou le réveil Parjure Ville La 1994. Hélène. Cixous, : Peter “The Mahabharata 1987. Gautum. Dasgupta, (Routledge, His most recent book is Performed Imaginaries Richard Schechner is TDR’s Editor. 2015). His most recent production is Imagining O (2013). Jail The video installed as Jail lation was real. is actually a documenta- Seeking Prisoners an artwork created 2), (fig. tion of The Cage in 2014 by Miao Jiaxin who emigrated from “guests” Forty-two Shanghai to Brooklyn. dur paid $1.00 per day to live in The Cage The lobby of La MaMa’s Ellen Theatre was a pop-up art Stewart gallery featuring Chinese dissi- Jail dent artist Lin Bo’s installation, On 1). 2016 (fig. Seeking Prisoners, the walls was a mosaic of video clips documenting Lin’s piece of the The installation alluded same name. the ran- but did not reproduce, to, rat- and roach-infested cell cid, Lin was packed into with dozens Lin was impris- of other prisoners. because he says, oned for two years, “imaginary protest” he called for an to commemorate the 4 June 1989 massacre of students occupying Beijing’s Tiananmen Square — the bloody end to China’s Democracy because “Imaginary” Movement. although Lin advocated a mass pro- Both protest and he gave no location for it. test, artwork were conceptual. Caught by Caught Caught by Richard Schechner Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 142 Critical Acts ritual mustbepracticed. Because somewhere, no oneeverknowsyouarehere[inprison], the cluded hisshortlecturebyasserting: “Even if gated, abused, andimprisonedhim. Lincon- Chinese authoritiesthattheyarrested, interro- detailed howhisimaginaryprotestsoenraged 2. Christopher Chen’sCaught.(PhotocourtesyofMiaoJiaxin) shown infigure1thatwasreplicated2016atLaMaMafor Figure 2.MiaoJiaxin’sTheCage,2014.Thisisthework (as perthestagedirections, whichIreadlater Lin, speakingwithaslight “Chinese accent” a conceptualspacebetweencuratorandcreator. present intheirownretrospectives, occupying example —are for Abramovic;, artists —Marina ence, tookthisatfacevalue. After all, many ist himself, LinBo.” I, likemanyintheaudi- theatre. There awomanintroduced “the art- installation, thespectatorswereguidedinto 1. directed byLeeSunday Evans,withactorsLouisOzawa Changchien,LeslieFray, MurphyGuyer, andJenniferLim. Shiomi. Otherproductionspriortothe oneatLaMaMawereinChicago,London,andSeattle.TheCaught Caught All quotationsfromtheperformanceare fromtheunpublishedmanuscriptprovidedtomebyPlayCompany. After about15minutesofviewingthe fee ($100perday). of abovewillresultinthelossdeposit is monitoredandrecorded. Any violation cises. You CANNOT sleep. Your activity CANNOT do Yoga oranyotherexer You CANNOT talktoanybody. You radio, pens, instrumentsorcraftwork. NO internet, electronicdevices, books, 9:00am to12pm(3hours)everyday. mandatory thatyoustayinthecagefrom to commitanycrime[...]. Howeveritis To liveinmyjailcage, youdon’thave premiered in2014Philadelphiaatthe InterActTheatreCompany. Theproductionwasdirected byRick - 1 ) in September2016atLaMamaNew York, know therewasaMiaoJiaxin. had noreasontodoubtLinBo’sreality. Ididn’t title ofCarolMartin’s2013landmarkstudy. me Mixing arealartistwithactorsdidn’ttrouble talking withwereactorsplayingrealpeople. New Yorker. reenactment ofanencounterLinBohadatthe watching aplaybutIthoughtthescenewas New Yorker already there” (fig. 3). Lookingattheframed JOYCE, awriter, andhereditorBOBare ment. An officeattheNewYorker. LINenters. unexpectedly, ahighlytheatricalenviron- then, asthestagedirectionshaveit, “Suddenly, to beaccountedfor” (6). Indeed, watchingthe dence thatbothprovideanaccountandhave not onlyimaginationbutalsotracesofevi- of theimagination. [...] The processinvolves on whensheasserts, “History, too, isanact Caught, IamkeenlyawarethatMartinisright- the ‘real’ world” (2013:4). With regardto the blurredboundarybetweenstageand lap andinterplaybetween ‘theatre’ and ‘reality,’ tion accomplished, asMartinhasit, the “over am veryawarethatthePlayCompanyproduc- Writing now, 10monthsafterseeingCaught — an exampleof “theatre ofthereal,” the hanging onthewall, Iknewwas complicated place, I reasoned. Both accountsaretrue;Chinaisa ences inChina, Shanghaiespecially. tion against my own positive experi- same time, ImeasuredLin’snarra- on freeexpressioninChina. At the Weiwei and theseverelimitations ence. As Linspoke, Ithoughtof Ai commentary onhisownexperi- Jail SeekingPrisoners , amordant Chinese artist, themanwhocreated was face-to-facewithadissident ping story, Iwasconvincedthat Lin’s assured, articulate, andgrip- on somethingreal.” Listeningto truth. Truth thatideasarefounded somebody mustbethekeeperof I supposedthetwopeoplehewas Lin finishedhispresentationand I sawwas I 2 -

I Critical Acts 143 profile — which shouts: “You lied... lied... “You shouts: — a pun pointedly telling me that —

caught me. An internet search shows caught me. I’m really straight up American. I grew American. I’m really straight up I’m a performance Beach. Venice up near - I just wanted to be part of the cul artist. So I figured the tural elite so badly. only way I could sneak my way into the club was to use my Chinese-ness to my So I came up with this story. advantage. I was adopted. [...] I’m Fred Goldstein. Bit by bit, Lin Bo’s story completely col- Bit by bit, no such “legendary artist.” As for Lin Bo, in As for Lin Bo, “legendary artist.” no such Caught he tells us: ) YOU LIED!!... What else did you LIED!!... YOU (Shrieking) pro- there even an imaginary Was lie about? Are you even a fucking artist?! Do you test?! Yu the legendary artist Rong, Yu even know It was months Who the fuck are you!!!” Rong?! Rong”=“You “Yu before it dawned on me that Wrong” Caught of course never was lapses, his Chinese accent evaporates. Joyce, Joyce, his Chinese accent evaporates. lapses, the author of the New Yorker own.” Literal truth and poetic truth, right? But right? Literal truth and poetic truth, own.” isn’t the public entitled to know which kind literal of truth is being presented? In Caught, Not that this and poetic truths are conflated. Luigi Pirandello ambiguity is something new. as real people; “six characters” presented his Spalding Gray enriched his autobiographical performances with flights of fantasy. New Yorker office in Caught by and Joyce at the New Yorker Figure 3. Bob, Lin Bo, by Carol Rosegg) 2016. (Photo Christopher Chen. La MaMa, New York,

— office scene examination — and scene of Caught

is somewhere out there with is somewhere out there My Life in Prison: Memoirs of a Chinese My Life in Prison: Memoirs

, I thought Lin’s story I thought Lin’s story Caught, All I can say is that... There is no way All I can say is that... to accurately describe what it is like to There is no way to truly be imprisoned. capture the confusion or the way your The truth does not mind fluctuates. lie in the specific facts but in the sen- the helplessness and constric- sations, the walls closing in and that is your tion, And there is simply no way entire world. you will understand what it feels like to know this one life you have been given is disappearing before your eyes on some stranger’s whim and you can never get So did I eat cabbage or this time back. watery What was this tasteless, potatoes? What does it matter? mush made from? What does it matter?? Do you see? New Yorker In the New Yorker New Yorker New Yorker now on my watching reflecting the given circumstances of the play the given circumstances Under what increasingly unravel. becomes more cross-­ Lin Bo is accused than friendly chat, and plagia- lying, distorting, of exaggerating, Bob and Joyce expose his prison story rizing. as being lifted from activist Jiang Qisheng’s 2012 Jiang was imprisoned from Dissident. Political 1989 1999 to 2003 for speaking out about the Lin defends In Caught, massacre. Tiananmen his plagiarism by arguing for poetic liberty: The New Yorker Lin’s defense is compelling. “So it could be responds to Lin: Bob, editor, one of those things where someone else’s details seeped into your mind and they felt truthful to you so you retold them as your I am intensely aware of how much aware of how much I am intensely be accounted for”: “to truth has mass protest; Lin Bo’s imaginary of Miao Jiaxin’s his appropriation and moving piece; his harrowing While watch- tale of imprisonment. ing imaginary, Now I know it is fact. degree what To but does it matter? as true? is the imaginary as good Caught fic- truthiness, faux documentaries, and representation. tion, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 144 Critical Acts logue and theEcstasyofSteve Jobs. Daisey’smono- assembly lineinShenzhen, China:TheAgony trenchant descriptionofFoxconn/Apple’s fabrication ofLinBointermsMikeDaisey’s Theatre Academy). Wang Mindiscussesher and directed inYokastaS Redux(2005, LaMaMa) not: Wang MinisJenniferLim, anactressI point, Iknowwhatmanyintheaudiencedo join LeslieFrayinatalkback(fig. 4). Atthis Wang Minentersthestagefromhouseto and says: Yorker start ofCaught, shewhoplaysJoyceintheNew woman whointroducedustoLinBoatthe take theirbowsandexit. Everyonebutthe curtain call. all weep, themusicswells, blackout, lightsup, came clean[...]. We canfinallymoveon.” They Yes Ido.” BobconsolesFred, “I amsogladyou Bob asksFredifhewantstobewhite. “Yes. gram ing withfiction. OnIraGlass’sNPRpro- in 2011 ferent theyare from therulesthatgovernart other truth-dependentmedia, notinghowdif- delves intotherulesthatgovern journalismand tiple, mutuallyinteracting media. Wang Min ity ofpublicdiscourseintheepoch ofmul- truths? Isn’tthisadefinitionofart? thing wrongwithtellingsmallliestogetatbig inventing somepartsofthisstory. Isthereany- tonight, allthewayfromChina. so luckytohosther. She’sherewithus been suchanamazingexperience. We are ing verycloselywith Wang Min, andit’s theatre components. Iendedupwork- kind ofasa...bridge...betweentheartand have beenbroughtintotheprocessearly, just experienced. Iwassofortunateto hybrid theatreartinstallationpieceyou work, whichbecametheextraordinary ing onChineseartist Wang Min’snewest and PlayCompanystartedcollaborat- 2014? isthatright?whenXiongGallery curator. Soitwasbackin, Ithinkitwas as yousaw, andIamalsoavisualarts My nameisLeslieFray. Iamanactress, Everyone inLaMaMaapplauds. The actors The slipperyslopehereconcerns thequal- Hamlet This American Life, This American — scene. This womanfacestheaudience — which IsawatthePublic Theatre combines investigativereport- (2007, inMandarin, Shanghai Daisey admittedto are mixed, withtroublingresults. prized. Shenotesthatincreasinglythesetwo where imaginativeelaborationandfictionare . brilliant production Christopher ChenandthePlayCompany’s ing, achasmcreatedbothbyplaywright ing againandintoachasmofunknow- Which ispreciselytheactionofCaught, fall- paradox-panegyric indefenseofthelie: bag. Wang thendeliversatheatreoftheabsurd the Curatorsaysshefeelssickandvomitsintoa guish truthfromlies, factsfromfictions, until mers theCuratoraboutinabilitytodistin- and Wang Minclimaxeswhen Wang ham- truth andfiction. sion ofawell-knowntheatrecontroversyabout wright whocreatedhim, followedbyadiscus- actor playingavisualartistandthentheplay- moment. Noprograms, anartinstallation, an eral truthofwhattheyareseeingmomentby best tomakethespectatorsbelieveinlit- all this, ChenandthePlayCompanydotheir Life. appearances onNPR’sThisAmerican a Brooklynart-jailcell, Daisey’sworkandhis Square, Chineseprisons, Shenzhensweatshops, talk aboutandshow “real events”: Tiananmen nor Wang existoutsideofCaught, evenifthey Bo’s jailisMiaoJiaxin’scage. NeitherLin play, whichisinsideChen’sCaught. performance art, whichisinside Wang Min’s Inside Chen’sCaught as itstepsontoanM.C. Escherstaircase. of unknowing. each other. We openagreatchasm when differentsetsofrulesbumpagainst What interestsmeisthisriftthatoccurs Different medium, differentrules. [...] American Life, herunsintoproblems. placed inthecontextofNPRandThis to craftacompellingnarrative. Butwhen allows himselftostretchtruthinorder per hisperceivedrulesofmedium, he So MikeDaiseyisatheatreartist;andas Caught and lonelyjourneysinthedark. Now new home. A place ofreturnafterlong able. Why dowelie?Because alieis occurrence andistotallyunderstand - A lieisnotabadthing. It isanatural The scenebetweenLeslieFraytheCurator swallows itsownnarrativetale is LinBo’sinstallation-­ But Lin In Critical Acts 145 a parody, and truthful as a parody, — After the scene between Leslie Fray/ political life more generally. Serious, of course; Serious, political life more generally. but very funny too up on the lights come Min, Wang Curator and “no pretensions set pieces being arranged with of trying to create any kind of singular envi- The absurdist mashup should [...] ronment. free the audience from trying to figure out the Min Wang Lin Bo and once and for all.” world, cell power up their don their street clothes, Once 5). and talk (fig. lounge, snack, phones, well as duplicitous. well as duplicitous. Figure 4. Leslie Fray and Wang Min talking about Wang Min’s play in talking about Wang Min Wang Figure 4. Leslie Fray and 2016. (Photo by Caught by Christopher Chen. La MaMa, New York, Carol Rosegg) Figure 5. Wang Min and Lin Bo after the play is “over.” La MaMa, New Min and Lin Bo after the play is “over.” Figure 5. Wang by Carol Rosegg) 2016. (Photo York, enacts - - is a con- questioning of

view has changed into some- view has changed Something new. thing else. Adrift now. unmoored We’re are witnessing the We at sea. speak. birth of a new lie as we for see how in our search We truth we move into something A lie [...] artificial once again. the box is [...] thinking outside the out- but then being inside fur side of the box so going comes the point in the work comes the the inter where we recognize inside of ther going outside the by going the outside of the box be out- back inside the box to box then side the outside of the leaving the box to find another box whose outside has an outer outside outside outside the outside. with its swelling music Indeed, ceptual art melodrama collapsing and confounding several genres: Talk– Ted Lin’s pop-up art gallery, like discussion of his installation, Oprah-style sharp-­ Caught and . a celebrity, and the appearances, twists roles, unreliability of what-you-see-is- what-you-get as people morph Caught from one identity to another. an idea familiar to performance studies schol- ars: there is no real beyond representation and real No context; truth is an unstable construct. Heisenberg’s inde- outside Einstein’s relativity, And and Austin’s performativity. terminacy, we ought yet...knowing we are in a theatre, “etiolation” Austin called an to expect what leads a weak structure given to false of truth, and distortions; funhouse mirrors and mis- Gotcha! cues; reveals that betray as they exult, Theatre in this case stands in for social and Lost? So is the Curator. “Where Lost? So is the Curator. Neo- she asks. are you taking me?” “It’s that’s where: Buddhist cliché, It’s not a matter of end goals [...]. Then only a matter of journey.” another swelling of music and a blackout. Caught and blackouts, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 146 Critical Acts happens next: happens next: Silence. The stagedirectionsinstructwhat The personwedevotedourentirelivesto?” just abigliar?Soweneverreallyknewhim?? example are infactabouthowartists and lies, factsandfictions. Someofthefacts ing mixofactualpeopleandinventions, truth of whatChristopherChenhascrafted, adizzy- play, butthesituationof they laughingat?Nolongerasituationin cannot controltheirlaughing. Butwhatare rehearsed are laughing “Uncontrollable”? No, becauseitisactorswho ing to thisperipeteia, oneamongthemanydriv- and WangLin tion. Itturnsoutthat Yu wastheloverofboth Rong artists, Iaccept Yu asreal, butIam “rong.” Yu familiar withtherosterofChinesedissident begin todiscuss Yu Rong. BecauseIamnot between Wang MinandLinBocontinuesthey Caught becomesjustanotherplay. or playwrights. Duringthispenultimatescene, Chinese dissidentsorFredfrom Venice, CA, people areactorsnotperformanceartistsor we knowarenotbackstage;these was receptive. Backstagestuff. Butthistime, the performancewent, theysaytheaudience again, theplayisover. The actorswonderhow

4. 3. away from WANG MIN, inadefensive A beat. Hecrouchesagain, backturned stops whenhe’sletoffenoughsteam. mutter violentlyunderhisbreath. He movements witharms. Hemayswearor escape thestage. Hemaymakeviolent forth likeacagedanimal, asifwantingto ventilate. Herises. Hepacesbackand deeply, thenfaster, asifhemayhyper He crouches. Hebeginsbreathing head inincredulousdisbelief. Hepauses. LIN risesfromhisseat. Heshakeshis Lin andMinwonderabout Yu: “So he’s But notforlong. As theconversation and reprintedinvarious versionssince1972. Bateson’s “ATheoryofPlayandFantasy” wasreadataconferenceonBateson’sbehalfin1954,published1955, See my“RestorationofBehavior,” especially 109ffinBetweenTheaterandAnthropology(Schechner1985). Caught, isuncontrollablelaughter. — like LinBoand Wang Min — — conflate factandfiction. actors whocontrolcharacters — at thesametime.response Their actors whohaveplannedand the play:absurdity — Mike Daisey, for — is afic- - the are untrue.” one asserts, “All statementswithinthisframe Bateson exploredwhathappenstotruthwhen down thisrabbithole. In1954, Gregory and modern, Europeanand Asian, havegone course isnotnew. Manyphilosophers, ancient Doubting thereliabilityofeachandeverydis- formativities —inhabit fake news, truthiness, performanceart, andper the sceneends. The spectators briefly, Linreads: asks Lintoread Yu’s message. After resisting prison. LinfindsitstoredonhisiPhone. Wang Wang remember Yu Rong’sfinalmessagefrom sible truth. Returningtostagefiction, Linand butademandforanimpos- sion ofdisbelief” Caught, stagetruthisnota “willing suspen- paradox oftheunrealitystagetruth. In All thisventingandposturingtoactoutthe theory of “not...not not.” that theplayknowinglyornotembodiedmy Caught. As Iwatchedandlistened, Ifeltgood Negating negationsistheunderlyingactionof in statement thatallstatementsarefalse. statements insidetheframearefalse, eventhe adoxical, recursive, anddizzyingtruththatall play. The backstage scenebetween Wang Min cuts theexposébyrevealingitispartofher lation andLin’stalkaboutit. Wang Minunder New Yorkerit. The exposéundercutstheinstal- Caught. What’s outsidetheframeispar Never revealingthat Yu Rongdoesn’texist, trying tohidehisface. over. Heputshishandstohead, asif position, theinternalstrugglenotyet end? Inegatedthisquestiontoo. negated myownnegations. [...] To what negating allIsaw. InegatedsomuchI’ve Within others, withinmyself. So Ibegan looked fortruthbuthaveonlyseenlies. for areturntomyhomevillage. Ihave thing thatitwas. [...]Ihavesearched village, nothingwasanythingbutthe I wasborninavillageofnolies. Inthis Thus, eachsceneundercutsthebefore 4 This ispreciselywhatChendoes Caught’s villageoflies. 3

— immersed in - - - Critical Acts 147 wrought its kneeling, is Peter Seynaeve, the only adult is Peter Seynaeve, kneeling, . Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Chicago: Mind. manuscript. Edited by Naomi May, Dissident. Chinese Political MD: Rowman Lanham, translated by James Dew. and Littlefield Publishers. Palgrave Macmillan. Philadelphia: University of Anthropology. Pennsylvania Press. We decided to realize as many of his realize as many of his decided to We instruc- The [...] as possible. instructions “Cast piece were as follows: tions for this was That Negate me.” me. doubt upon his prompt. and surround the platform. Eight-year-old Eight-year-old and surround the platform. of the youngest and smallest Rachel Dedain, - a beautiful girl with porce the child actors, She is illu- hops onto the mattress. lain skin, Facing minated like a Rembrandt painting. ­ her, actor onstage. The ensuing scene is enacted in actor onstage. . Unpublished Unpublished Caught. 2016. Christopher. Chen, of a My Life in Prison: Memoirs 2012. Jiang Qisheng. Basingstoke: of the Real. Theatre 2013. Carol. Martin, Theater Between 1985. and Richard. Schechner, References an Ecology of To Steps 1972. (1955) Gregory. Bateson, As I write these words I wonder if I’ve been As I write these words is unreal. Rong Yu tricked into thinking Caught That’s how successfully own...unlie. Wang Min immediately picks up Lin’s cue: immediately picks Min Wang - or, to put it classically, you sus- it classically, to put or,

— ’s final scene, Wang Min and Lin Caught’s final scene,

installation, drama, disquisition? If at any disquisition? drama, installation, In he started a new art proj- Before he died, ect that consisted of smuggling words, and sentences out of prison. phrases, They were instructions for works of art that could either be or not be completed. — is Assistant Professor of Theatre at New York University, Abu Dhabi. Her most recent University, Debra Levine is Assistant Professor of Theatre at New York Harrell’s choreographic proposition of embodying impossible archives, articles have been on Trajal Looks or Paris is Burning at the Judson Church (XL)/The Publication (2017); published in Twenty Movement Research Journal (2016); and walkerart.org (2016). [email protected] At the opening of “an essay on submission,” “an essay on submission,” At the opening of a disembod- (2016), Easy Pieces scene 3 of Five ied voice describes the dungeon that convicted Belgian pedophile serial killer Marc Dutroux In built to imprison and torture his victims. mattress several children wheel out a dim light, They pick up video equipment on a platform. pend your disbelief, you are “rong.” But to not “rong.” you are pend your disbelief, along with the per believe is to stop playing point in the performance you believe what’s point in the performance going on this surprise me? Isn’t Why should formers. in a fiction the core of agreeing to participate theatre? Isn’t that just as true in a play about of the unreliability of truth and the conflation - truth and fiction as it is in a play that is forth rightly invention? Even in this Bo directly address the audience. Rong’s existence, Yu they aver ultimate scene, Lin Bo tells us: that he is not a fiction. and Lin Bo undercuts Wang’s play by let- Wang’s undercuts and Lin Bo Min, Wang no know there is ting the audience Then is a play-within-a-play. “play” that her Lin argue about and Wang playing the actors who Rong, Yu was the lover of which of them both were his concluding they does not exist, many in the Finally, lover at the same time. and every- and Lin, Wang audience realize that in Caught, “just actors” are one else onstage, sure just what Caught but no one can say for is Five Easy Pieces Milo Rau and CAMPO’s Collaborative Debra Levine Not Just Adult Entertainment Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 148 Phile Deprez) direction byMiloRau.Kunstenfestivaldesarts,May2016.(Photo Loobuyck, ElleLizaTayou inFiveEasyPieces.Concept,text,and Rachel Dedain(onscreen),PepijnLoobuyck(withvideocamera),Willem Proclamation oftheCongo’sIndependence.Fromleft:RachelDedain, Figure 1.“PieceI:FatherandSon.”SpeechattheCeremonyof Critical Acts and tellsRachel, “This isyourscene.” Satie asSeynaeveassumestheroleofDutroux hanging atthebackofstage. profile andprojectedliveontoalargescreen bare chestforasplitsecond;onscreenhow- undershirt too. Onstage, weglimpseRachel’s change hismind. HeasksRacheltotakeoffher large screen, Seynaeveoffhandedlyseemsto replies “Sabine.”Rachel ter capturesher. Then heasksherwhosheis. adjusts Rachelonthebedsocamerabet- shrugging offherpantsandsocks. Seynaeve reveals her undershirt. Seynaeve assists her with it likeinrehearsals.” Rachelremoveshershirt, resists norcomplies. Seynaevewhispers, “Do she looksaway. Then, lookingback, sheneither tenderly askshertotakeoffclothes. First 2. 1. We listentothemournfulstrainsofErik After Rachel’simageisprojectedonthe of theexperience, I ChoosetoLive,withMarie-Thérèse Cuny. because theywerereadaloudintoevidence duringDutroux’s2004trial.In2004,Dardennewroteherownaccount obtain accesstothelettersDardenne wrotetoherparentswhileincaptivity, recitedbyRachelDedaininscene3, Dutroux hadkeptDardennecagedand chainedbytheneckfor79days(Evans-Pritchard2004).Rauwasableto after starvingtodeathinDutroux’sdungeon prison.SabineDardenne,12,andLaetitiaDelhez,14,wererescued. An Marchal, 17,andEefjeLambrechts,19, diedafterbeingburiedalive.MelissaRussoandJulieLejune,both8, Marc Dutrouxwasconvictedofabducting, raping,andtorturingsixgirlsbetween19951996.Two ofthesix, by MiloRau/InternationalInstituteofPoliticalMurder&CAMPOArtsCenter (Rau2016). All quotationsfromtheperformanceareJuly2016video ofFiveEasyPieces,suppliedtome 1 Then he Then rified” allofBelgium. about the “Dutroux Affair,” astorythat “hor formance. amateur castofchildactorsalessonaboutper cise, aFoucauldiandispositifthatteachesthe Rau makeseachsceneintoapedagogicalexer ical worksofperformanceart(CAMPO2016). Abramovic;’s 2005reenactmentofsevencanon- his childrentoplaypianoaswellMarina exercises Stravinskycomposedin1917toteach alluded tobythetitlereferencesmusical 5. about 5. about “rebellion: howtorevoltagainstevery- their children, theyhavetocryonstage”;and tion: thechildrenhavetoplayparentswholost Seynaeve didwithRachel);4. about “emo- tionship betweentheactoranddirector” (what ter onstage”;3. “on submission, abouttherela - 1. “how toplaysick”;2. “how toplayacharac- lists eachsuccessivescene’slearningobjective: In aninterviewwithBella Todd, to participateinatheatricalwork select sevenchildren, ages8to 17, presenter, collaboratedwithRauto place onstagetolook away. Rau doesnotgivetheaudienceany stage andbackagain;directorMilo ters. Oureyesshiftfromscreento read butnevermailedthoselet- her rescuebythepolice. Dutroux assaulted andtorturedherbefore her hostage, starvedher, sexually during the80daysDutrouxkept Dardenne wrotetoherparents cue torecitethelettersSabine Pieces, scene 3.” This isRachel’s clapper andannounces “Five Easy Another actorappearswithafilm of thescene, Rachelholdsthatpose. cover hertorso. Fortheremainder pletely naked, herbarelegsbentto video imagemakesherappearcom- ever, theangleoflivestream CAMPO, aBelgium-basedarts 2 The “Five Easy Pieces”Easy The“Five Rau - - - Critical Acts 149

And in this public narrative, the abstract fig- And in this public narrative, In order to destabilize the myth of the ­audition-like format and is afforded a solo ure of the innocent child functioned in the ure of the innocent child functioned in the very manner that queer theorist Lee Edelman Theory and the Queer describes in No Future: Edelman observes that the state Death Drive. is more interested in what the signifier of it is the child can politically accomplish than Edelman writes that the child. “real” in any - deployment of the child as an abstract figura “invariabl(y) shapes the logic within which tion (2004:2). the political itself must be thought” of a When the Dutroux affair reached the level most Belgians viewed their pol- national crisis, By respond- iticians as ineffectual and corrupt. laws ing to the public’s demand to enact new with the justification to shore up its control, of protecting innocent children and children’s the Belgian Federal government innocence, successfully extended the logic of colonialism, polit- reaffirming the same terms of patriarchal ical power. - Rau transforms the figura innocent child, into the noted by Edelman, tive abstraction, each of Before the five scenes begin, real. the child actors engages with Seynaeve in an­ - - Figure 2. “Piece III: Essay on Submission.” Recitation of Sabine Figure 2. “Piece III: Essay Dedain in Five Easy Pieces. Concept, Dardenne’s letters. Rachel Rau. Kunstenfestivaldesarts, May text, and direction by Milo 2016. (Photo by Phile Deprez) While the 3 colonial

to the framing of the Dutroux nar dureé The “rebellion” Rau references is the 1996 “White March,” where over 275,000 people demonstrated in Brussels The “rebellion” Rau references is the 1996 “White March,” where over 275,000 people demonstrated government to protest the judicial system’s mishandling of the Dutroux investigation and trial and demand increased and judicial oversight of the nation’s children (Reuters 1996). - chil “real” The Dutch-speaking the Dutroux affair has For Rau, 3. - Dutroux affair had become a nexus for pub lic outrage about the leniency of sex offender gla- and the the ineptitude of the police, laws, the cial progress of Dutroux’s prosecution in it did not precipitate a Federal court system, colo- public reconsideration of how Belgium’s nial past impacted the conditions that produced was in Rau suggests, That elision, Dutroux. The media part due to narrative construction. and an “monster,” portrayed Dutroux as a In newspaper and television accounts “enigma.” he was unlike the everyday Belgian citizen; he was depicted as an exceptional subject who preyed upon innocent Belgians.

rative. Dutroux grew up in the Congo, once a Dutroux grew up in the Congo, rative. near Belgian colony; he committed his crimes economically depressed the French-speaking, In an Belgian coal-mining city of Charleroi. interview with production dramaturg Stefan “trial Rau comments that the Dutroux Bläske, almost led to the implosion of Belgium and a rebellion of society against its own cor (in Bläske 2016:18). rupt elites” Five Easy Pieces, In Five Belgian politics. he examines the impact of Belgium’s colonial a domination of the Congo and its aftermath, lon- historical revision that insists on a much ger - both as theatrical mate dren serve basis for the work’s rial and the vul- Their presence evokes politics. gives rise to a swell which nerability, in the viewer. of protective feeling Rau’s dramaturgy demonstrates response how easily that affective political gain can be exploited for of the and to override consideration that produced historical conditions effects the constellation of political known as the that have come to be “Dutroux affair.” become an allegory of post­ thing they have just been asked to have just been asked thing they (Todd 2017). do” Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 150 Critical Acts onstage performativelyconstructs theirnotion they consumeandindiscriminately remix and YouTube. We understandhowthemedia through mediatedplatforms:film, television, and tellstories, mostofwhich werelearned The childactorsrecountdreams, singsongs, of overheard, off-handparentalobservations. verge, astheyuncannilysoundlikefragments phrases alsomakethepastandpresentcon- elicited byRauduringrehearsals. Those taken fromthechildperformers’ownwords, automatically traumatizes. all exposuretoknowledgeofhumanviolence chal protectionismbasedontheclaimsthat destabilizes argumentsforincreasingpatriar riences ofmaking, showing, andtelling, Rau late bothformsofknowledgethroughexpe- audience thechildactors’capacitytoassimi- tion’s communicativestructure. Byshowingthe taught toquestiontheintentofinforma- ual violence, grief, andmortalitywhilebeing ment. We seechildrenlearningaboutsex- compliant withperformance’srulesofengage- tion, especiallyasthechildactorsbecomemore tions canbecomeameanstoresistfullcoop- to manipulatetheatricalandnarrativeconven- rehearsals”), Raushowsspectatorshowlearning that occurredduringrehearsals(“doitlikein Pieces with andaboutchildren. ButbecauseFive Easy tainly evenmoretroublesomewhenposed pleasures andrewardsoftheatricalcompliance. ity ofperformancecannotalwaysovercomethe “scene,” thatreflexivityaboutthecoercivequal- fect; wealsosee, sowellillustratedinRachel’s in thebeginning. Clearlythesystemisnotper ity forreflexivitythattheyhavedemonstrated inhibit orexpandanyindividualchild’scapac- the dispotifsRauhasfashionedforeachscene deflect thequestion. Laterweunderstandhow tion, andhowwelltheyabsorb, respondto, or capacity forphilosophicalandemotionalreflec- and mortality. The answersshoweachchild’s about thenatureoftheatre, mimicry, violence, as Rau’sproxy, alsoposesquestionstoeach the audienceandgaintheiraffection. Seynaeve, or hislifestorywithenoughdetailtodisarm ­singular, recountingaquirkymomentfromher moment inthespotlightthatrendersthem Portions ofthetextFive EasyPiecesare This isalsoanadultproblem, butcer is aneditedrepetitionofthebehaviors - - - works intoquestion. how tocallthosesamemechanismsandframe- consequences ofthosepoliticaleffectslearn specific politicaleffects. Thosewhobearthe and narrativeframeworksareconstructedfor resilience andteacheshowculturalmechanisms ever, weseethatparticipation appearstobuild matized, bytheshow’scontent. Insteadhow- might become “broken,” insomemanner trau- as adultsbringtothetheatre:thatchildren ist logic. Raubanksonthefearheknowswe produced andnaturalizedbytheprotection- do soisarisk;andthattheideaofriskhasbeen dence, andwefeeltwothings:askingthemto performers toreenactportionsofveryuglyevi- affair. Raudoesn’tshyawayfromaskingthose protections enactedbecauseoftheDutroux the reallifeconsequencesofmorestringent “the future,” theyarethesubjectswhowillbear realer. The childrenonstagenotonlyrepresent of therealintoanuncannytheatre oftheeven Belgium’s politicalfuturetransformstheatre actors asbothmetaphorsandmetonymsfor of thereal” (Martin2013)Rau’suseofchild ciples ofwhatCarolMartinterms “theatre television interviews, incorporatingmanyprin- the Dutrouxcase, includingtrialevidenceand and unpredictability. behaviors: unruliness, singularity, obedience, also becauseweseeahigherratioofchildlike as childrennotonlybytheirappearance, but dren. Butwereaffirmtheactors’authenticity still recognizingtheactorsonstageaschil- of “adult” logic, whichRaucalibrates, while spectators intheaudienceadmitasmallratio qualities webelievetobe “childlike.” The adult atrical dramaturgyperformativelyreaffirmsthe mance choicesseemrandom, theresultant- contradictory, andassociative, andherperfor when achildactor’sonstagereasoningisodd, rience thatexpressionas “adult.” Othertimes, that goeswellbeyondher/hisyears. We expe- unrecognizable oraphilosophicalobservation shares acomplicatednotionwhosesourceis of theatre’sontology. Occasionallyachild effects ofhisacts. The child actors, mostof ries, documents, andscenes thatshowusthe have accesstohimthroughmemories ofsto- Marc Dutrouxisneveragoal In Combined withdocumentarymaterialfrom Five Easy Pieces, understandingthe “real” — we only - Critical Acts 151 Later we realize that the earlier informa- that the earlier Later we realize Maurice is sin- When the child performer tion the children confessed to Seynaeve is confessed to Seynaeve tion the children When scenes. in the five ensuing incorporated the genius Rachel it is her scene, Seynaeve tells it appears more as a gift of his coercion is that Rau demonstrates just how than a punishment. by rewarding individ- easy it is to exert control how theatrical direction He shows ual desires. Theatre his- logic too. operates within that of male directors elicit- tory is rife with stories by manipulating ing compelling performances way. actors in much the same of scene 1 gled out before the beginning “how to play sick”) to (where the dispositif is he recounts how he was tell about himself, “coughing in his born with pneumonia and was He demonstrates to Seynaeve mother’s belly.” cough on which is his ability to “talent,” his later, Moments imitating his birth trauma. cue, Seynaeve has Maurice play as scene 1 begins, a young first as Victor, Marc Dutroux’s father, later married Belgian living in the Congo and liv- man with emphysema as an 81-year-old the around ing alone in Belgium (coincidently, see Maurice play We corner from CAMPO). with makeup from the outset, asks to play “old asks to play from the outset, with makeup and ill.” - Figure 3. Using chiaroscuro lighting reminiscent of a Rembrandt self-portrait, this press still references the optical theatrical effects artists have developed over centuries to construct indelible images of childhood and innocence. From left clockwise: Willem Loobuyck, Pepijn Loobuyck, Elle Liza Tayou, and Rachel Maurice Leerman, Polly Persyn, Winne Vanacker, Dedain in Five Easy Pieces. Concept, text, and direction by Milo Rau. Kunstenfestivaldesarts, May 2016. (Photo by Phile Deprez) - Polly, Maurice, Maurice, Polly, — raise their hands, raise their hands, with no impact of the violent narra- with no impact of the —

— the idea, following Marianne Hirsch following Marianne the idea,

— As the children’s cacophonous rendition of As the children’s cacophonous rendition ent roles: Winne asks to be a king, asks to be a king, Winne ent roles: who told earlier of his Willem, and gesticu- desire to be a policeman, lates wildly and asks to play one. whose face is smeared Maurice, (1997), that memory is not created from direct memory is not created that (1997), from the pre- but rather inherited experience, of their traumatic vious generation’s retelling moment of recognition is This experiences. the children onstage are also the first time all and playfully as allowed to erupt collectively narrative about brutal they retell the learned ­violence harmony and security ground city where good, AFP 2016). (in would prevail” Seynaeve, the Dutroux story reaches a peak, now acting as the onstage direc- sternly restores “adult,” tor and To The children fall silent. order. he then offers restore their spirit, ask- them chances to perform, ing who among them would like to a dis- This pattern, play Dutroux. ciplinary correction followed by an is an authori- invitation to perform, tarian technique of governmentality that Rau implies Dutroux also used and it paces the to his advantage, After the abrupt entire production. three halt to the heated shouting, of the children and Pepijn volunteering to play Dutroux. other children want differ Two whom were infants when Dutroux was on trial, was on trial, infants when Dutroux whom were do rec- his uncaptioned photo, when shown a post-mem- however only as ognize him, ory The child actors tive evident in their behavior. about Dutroux from recount what they heard third-hand sources: From various second- and having been convicted and after 1995 to 1996, and rape of five released for the abduction Dutroux abducted six girls girls in the 1980s, victims were Two and murdered four of them. Their fragmented and overlapping rescued. had phrases reference a conversation Dutroux explaining that he intended with his attorney, “carry out mass kidnappings of children and to under a sort of in a mine shaft, then create, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 152 Critical Acts question aboutherownconceptofracializa- before replyingwithprecisiontoSeynaeve’s of apoliticalcomplicationinreallife. Pausing ity thatissousefulonstagebecomesfarmore are particulartoraceandgender. The ambigu- logue tellofthetypemisrecognitionsthat shared intimaciesthatRauincludesinthepro- ticipates inthehistoricceremony. And her her bearingresemblesLumumba’sashepar she isinvitedtooccupyduringtheprologue, when shedonsthejacketpresetonchair ence becomesadramaturgicalassetbecause child actors. Herandrogynousonstagepres- cusp ofadulthood, sheisalsotheeldestof and postcolonialsubjectivity. At 17, onthe roles inwhichsheiscast, bothsignify “race” tioner. ElleLiza’smaterialpresence, andthe or Seynaeve’s, herwhite, blond, adultques- over-determined thantheotherchildren’s, participation intheperformanceisevenmore ments andaBelgianexecutionsquad. plices ofthe American andBelgiangovern- being assassinatedbytheCongoleseaccom- the transferofpowerceremonyandagainlater see hertransitionintoplayingLumumbain more asan African oraEuropean?” We then the play, heasksher, “Do youconsideryourself her outforaconversationatthebeginningof mother fromBelgium. When Seynaevesingles the children, herfatherfromCameroon, her only clearlyidentifiedpersonofcoloramong on thelargescreenbehindthem. prerecorded adultcastactsoutthesamescene child castactsoutthetransferonstagewhilea the DemocraticRepublicofCongo. The Patrice Lumumba, thefirstelectedleaderof young BelgianKingBaudouintoCongo’s ing thetelevisedtransferofpowerfrom Marc Dutroux’sfatherasayoungmanwatch-

4. As amixed-raceBelgiancitizen, ElleLiza’s Elle Liza Tayou, playingLumumba, isthe itself isnotinnocent:It’spartofa200-year-old historyofwhitesupremacy” (Bernstein2017). children, andwemust,assumethat childhoodinnocenceispurelypositive.Buttheideaof would say, thatisembeddedinracism.Whenweargueblack andbrownchildrenareasinnocentwhite gates ofinnocenceopentochildren color, welimitourselvesbylanguage,a‘frame,’asthelinguistGeorgeLakoff of childhoodinnocencetochildren color intheUS:“Theproblem,however, isthateverytimeweinsistthe raced white”(Bernstein2011:4).Ina recent op-edintheNewYork Times, Bernsteinwritesabouttheexpansion not asinnocentbutinnocenceitself; notasasymbolofinnocencebutitsembodiment.[...]Thiswas century sentimentalculture“hadwovenchildhoodandinnocencetogether wholly. Childhoodwasthenunderstood Robin Bernstein’sworkonthephenomenonof“racialinnocence,”isbrought tobearhere.Shecontendsthat19th- - ing, andprotection. colony asachildinneedofschooling, civiliz- justifies itsoppressionbyimagininganentire European fantasiesofdominance;howthestate and Europehavebecomeboundtogetherby about hisinabilitytocomprehendhow Africa interrogation aboutracialidentitytellsmore tions heposestotheotherchildren. Hisbrief with Seynaeveispainfullyunliketheques- Belgium I’mblack.” And ElleLiza’sexchange tion, sheexplains, “In Africa I’mwhite, andin locating abeforeorafterofinnocence. The also unnervinglydissolvesanypossibilityof Lumumba, takesfocus. Belgium’s 1960handoverofpowertoPatrice ing scenesfromtheDutrouxaffairand the live-streamvideoofchildren, enact- the filmedprojectionsofadultsfadeoutas that looklikeoldnewsreels, andsometimes cast onlyappearsascinematographicimages historical figuresbothcastsportray. Theadult able resemblancetothechildactorsand lytic screenmemories. They sharearemark- they functionasliteralwellpsychoana- formers becomethechildren’sdoppelgangers; prerecorded cinemaprojections. The adultper second castofadultswhoareonlyglimpsedas screen, livestreamed. Raualsoincorporatesa live onstage, aresometimesviewedontheback undo oneanother. The fivescenes, allenacted media sometimesamplifyandatothertimes different proximalrelationships, themultiple jections, andlivevideofeed. When placedin gles liveperformance, cinematographicpro- extend thetermsoftrauma. Onstage, heentan- ity offocusbecauseitsaestheticpotentialto theatrics thatresistsmimesisandsingular acy ofcolonialism, Raufashionsatransmedial trol andexploitationemergefromtheleg- To highlighthownewiterationsofcon- This dizzyingtransmedialmise-en-scène 4

- - Critical Acts 153 In the story, the older male puppet mentors the older male puppet mentors In the story, a quiet retelling of a cine- Polly’s story, the younger female puppet, teaching her all the the younger female puppet, how especially how to act, rules of the theatre, The puppets are sentient, to signify onstage. theatre. but sheltered within the confines of the its pup- But the puppet theatre goes bankrupt, pets broken and discarded in the dump after sen- they retain their Still, the building is razed. the sky they see and for the first time, tience, have which until that moment, and the clouds, only been known in the puppet’s minds as rep- resentations because they have been sheltered from a direct experience of the outside. shocks “as a child,” matic encounter she had the audience is startled In part, on many levels. because of her perceptive brilliance and how she speaks of her own childhood as a past phase act- She seems to have also mastered of her life. ing; there is a marked difference between her performance as Lejeune’s mother and later as how to capitalize on the concept of child inno- how to capitalize on the concept of child The story is dramaturgically structured cence. But because as an allegorical children’s tale. and puppet the- oral storytelling, allegory, atre are naturalized as properties of childhood, the audience hardly recognizes them as also complexly transmedial. Figure 4. “Piece I: Father and Son.” Victor Dutroux interview. From Dutroux interview. and Son.” Victor Figure 4. “Piece I: Father Polly Persyn, left: Maurice Leerman (onscreen), Peter Seynaeve, Maurice and Vanacker, Winne Pepijn Loobuyck, Elle Liza Tayou, Leerman in Five Easy Pieces. Concept, text, and direction by Milo Rau. Phile Deprez) Kunstenfestivaldesarts, May 2016. (Photo by

— - and —

Five Easy Pieces implicates the role of the- Five

But the stakes of the production’s emotional But the stakes of the production’s emotional Rau shows two nonconcurrent that of the child actors’ transformation from that of the child actors’ transformation from - amateur to professional via the administra tive and pedagogical tools of performance; sub- and that of the Dutroux affair’s historical jects. past atre and performance in the present and col- The simultaneous ambitions of the state. lapse and rearrangement of narratives also - reveals how historical frameworks and contem porary repeated media accounts are culturally of constructed to support Belgium’s conjoining of white heteronormativity to the reproduction its political future. although amplified and made reflexive impact, really rest on the Mobius- by the transmedial, like tension between the onstage live actors’ capacity to understand the implications of what they enact and the preexistent doubt the audi- At the conclusion ence brings to the theatre. a seri- Polly, What are clouds?” V “Scene of ous and small girl with straight brown hair who in scene four embodied Julie Lejeune’s mother taping a painfully emotive televised plea for her recounts a story about daughter’s safe return, Polly speaks watching a film about puppets. She has learned well the monologue simply. combination of live and medi- combination - confuses tem ated performance of both childhood poral markers meta- Rau’s virtuosic and maturity. “critical censur a theatrics evoke ing of illusionism, identification, identification, ing of illusionism, sensuous plea- and other empathy, In all (Chow 2012:24). sures” the children keep however, this, That con- the emotion present. because of tradiction is effective of alien- the deep entanglement and ampli- ated perspectival vision the reasoning Following fied affect. strategy opens this of Rey Chow, within “an epistemic space from [...] in which an aesthetic spectacle reflexivity can be staged non-correspondence — between the presence of the work as such ‘it’ may be activated in and the way (23). reception” histories enacted simultaneously Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 154 Critical Acts I wroteattheoutset, Raudoesn’t allowusto ity istomakethedramavulgar (25). And so, as into porn, whilethepoint ofpoliticalreflexiv- ing andframingpossibilities” cancrossover reality intomotion” (Chow2012:4). of her/hiscurrentimaginationanditalso “sets seeing andthinkingbeyondthegivenhorizon effectively diminishesthesubject’spossibilityof atrically throughouttheperformance. Capture partitioning,” whichweseehappeningmetathe - “Capture” hasbecomethe “capacity forfurther the aesthetictermthrough Walter Benjamin. understanding ofthepoliticalimplications tion onthelogicof “capture” echoesChow’s the deprivationofcloudsandsky. Polly’sreflec- tal aboutimprisonmentinDutroux’sdungeon: she tellswhatachildwouldfindmostbru- media play. Instead, throughherpuppetstory, narrative thatgivestheDutrouxstorysomuch she offersalsoisnotresonantwiththeperverse she recountsthepuppetallegory. The insight ­herself. Sheprojectsaluminousstillnesswhen Kunstenfestivaldesarts, May2016.(PhotobyPhileDeprez) Jan DeWyngaertandSteeninFiveEasyPieces.Concept,text,directionbyMiloRau. Elle LizaTayou, PepijnLoobuyck,WillemandWinneVanacker. Fromleftonscreen:Pieter- Figure 5.“PieceIV: AloneintheNight.”InterviewwithJulie’sparents.Bottomleftrow:PollyPersyn, Chow warnsthathypermediatized “screen- extreme composure. and poeticmonologue, which she deliverswith tered mothertoplayingherself inherprofound transition fromembodyingJulie Lejune’sshat- passes; IwatchRachelrecover. ItrackPolly’s now knowoccurredinthepast. Still, thescene to restmyeyes. Icannotdismissnowwhat the liveRachel, butRaugivesmenowhereelse want tolookawaybothfromthefilmand ivity ismostpresentinthemomentwhenI which Chowinsistsinordertopoliticizereflex- disruptive feelings. Forme, thevulgarityupon Rachel, allelicitingincrediblyuncomfortable Dardenne withDutroux, Rauinrehearsalwith scenes thatlookedmuchlikethisoneof historical pastatwhichwewerenotpresent ively considerthescenesfromrecentand plaintive wordstoSeynaeve, wehavetoreflex- onscreen andonstageassherecitesDardenne’s stances. When welookatRachel’snakedbody framed withinparticularsociopoliticalcircum- ical stakesofhownarrativesarestagedand look anywherethatisn’tchargedwiththepolit- —

Critical Acts 155 , 26 July. Accessed 8 August Accessed 8 26 July. , Times New York . to Civil Rights from Slavery American Childhood Press. University York New York: New Kids.” www.nytimes.com/2017/07/26/opinion 2017. /black-kids-discrimination.html?_r=0. to Five Easy Pieces.” About the background International by Michael Robinson. Translated Accessed (IIPM). Institute of Political Murder http://international-institute.de 26 July 2017. /wp-content/uploads/20160414_Press-kit_Five -Easy-Pieces.pdf. www.campo.nu/en Accessed 15 July 2017. /production/1836/five-easy-pieces. NC: Duke Thinking About Durham, . Capture University Press. NC: Duke University Durham, . the Death Drive Press. Belgian court is told.” buried alive by Dutroux, Accessed 29 June 2017. 3 March. , The Telegraph www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe /belgium/1455896/Two-girls-were-buried-alive -by-Dutroux-Belgian-court-is-told.html. Cambridge: Harvard . and Postmemory Narrative, University Press. Palgrave Macmillan. International Institute of Political Murder & CAMPO. , Times New York Handling of Child Sex Scandal.” www.nytimes Accessed 30 June 2017. 21 October. .com/1996/10/21/world/275000-in-belgium -protest-handling-of-child-sex-scandal.html. , What’s On Stage trying to break any taboos.’” www.whats Accessed 20 July 2017. 28 February. onstage.com/brighton-theatre/news/milo-rau -interview-sick-festival-five-easy-pieces_43001 .html. Racial Innocence: Performing Performing Racial Innocence: 2011. Robin. Bernstein, Kids Just Be “Let Black 2017. Robin. Bernstein, “Interview with Milo Rau: 2016. Stefan. Bläske, “CAMPO Productie.” 2016. Arts Centre. CAMPO Entanglements, or Transmedial 2012. Rey. Chow, Theory and Queer No Future: 2004. Lee. Edelman, girls were “Two 2004. Ambrose. Evans-Pritchard, Photography, Frames: Family 1997. Hirsch Marianne. Basingstoke: of the Real. Theatre 2013. Carol. Martin, Milo Rau/ Video. Easy Pieces. Five 2016. Milo. Rau, “275,000 in Belgium Protest 1996. Reuters. ‘I’m actually not “Milo Rau: 2017. Bella. Todd, supplemental materials related view To please visit to this article, http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi /suppl/10.1162/DRAM_a_00699 - the local high of engaging the — —

, The Telegraph ‘underground city’ of victims.” www.telegraph Accessed 29 June 2017. 9 March. .co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belgium /12188331/Belgian-paedophile-planned- underground-city-of-victims.html. The teenage audience was captivated by s produces a haunting and Easy Pieces produces Five past and then reconfiguring the present’s hori- zon of possibility. schools had purchased blocks of group tick- schools had purchased I 90-minute performance, Throughout the ets. save teenagers breathing, could hardly hear the when Elle Liza for bursts of joyous laughter “Imagine” Lennon’s sang a few bars of John danced tremulously Vanacker Winne or when melancholic strains of across the stage to the 1 played on a key- Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie No. by Pepijn Loobuyck. Easy Pieces precisely because Rau con- Five ceived it for them as an inoculation against But in his use of domination and oppression. he does not under “realer,” and the “real” the The estimate the risk of misunderstandings. show is always clear about the negative effects of adults projecting and pursuing their own Seeing the teen- desires on behalf of children. agers on either side of me was humbling. col- There was no question of their ability to - lectively entertain the consequences of choos ing formal storytelling devices to tell difficult I believe and extreme stories of human action. Rau’s collaboration that is where hope resides. resil- with CAMPO affirms the creativity and in all ience of real children who can entertain, the entanglements of the senses of the word, When given full informa- real and the realer. of and knowledge some creative control, tion, how the formal parameters of narrative frame- children works convey very different stories, are game to take up the challenge of doing it than in rehearsal differently inescapable ambivalence. I saw the production I saw ambivalence. inescapable 2016 and four in the fall of twice; in Belgium saw it in I first Amsterdam. in months later, Belgian prov- Flemish-speaking a small Aalst, to look away and in order Werf, de at CC ince, stage during Rachel’s momentarily from the look at one of the 200 I had to monologue, There were only me. teenagers all around a handful of adults present References “Belgian paedophile planned 2016. AFP. Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 156 Critical Acts fans. The titleofeachepisodeisdisplayedand through repostedvideoswithtranslationsby ever theshowhasdevelopedaglobalfollowing ble onlineinthisformatScandinavia, how- one episode. The episodesareonlyaccessi- then compiledandairedontelevisionas of aweektotheshow’swebsite, skam.p3.no, episode, shortclipsarepostedoverthecourse broadcasting onceaweekasself-­ world oftheseriesandreality. Ratherthan cast disruptsanyclearseparationbetweenthe see onscreenandtherealitythatweinhabit. consume, andtheconnectionbetweenwhatwe assumptions abouttherealnessofmediawe the showandreality. Thus, Skamquestionsour plays withthedistinctionbetweenworldof sodes andontheshow’swebsite, purposefully and socialmediaaccounts, bothwithintheepi- of onlinemediasuchasmessagingapplications ence’s experientialreality. Inaddition, theuse places theeventswithinframeofaudi- with thetimeinwhichtheyaresetscript ness. The releaseoftheepisodestocoincide der andsexualidentities, religion, andloneli- and explorestopicssuchasrelationships, gen- series thatfollowsanewcharactereachseason Broadcasting Corporation, Skam youth-focused radiostationoftheNorwegian and thefictional. ProducedbyNRKP3, the cast, blurstheboundariesbetweenreal well asthewayinwhichshowisbroad- The show’sinnovativeuseofsocialmedia, as and thefinalepisodeairedon24June2017. tion attheschool, Skam Frogner inOslo, Norway. Filmedonloca- Nissen Schoolintheupscaledistrictof students attherealcoeducationalHartvig by Julie Andem, depictsthefictionallivesof Skam, aNorwegiantelevisionseriesdirected Connor Pearce The Caseof Reality andFictioninContemporaryTelevision NYUAD student newspaper, TheGazelle,forthe2016–2017 academicyear. in History, withminorsinUrbanization andArabCrossroads.HewasalsotheEditor-in-Chief ofthe South Wales, Sydney. HeisagraduateofNewYork University, AbuDhabi(2017)wherehemajored Connor PearceisagraduatestudentintheSchool ofArtsandMediaattheUniversityNew The innovativewayinwhichSkamisbroad- Skam premiered in2015 is aweb-based contained mance reinforcesourgrowingawarenessthat everyday realityandtheworldofperfor intentional blurringoftheboundariesbetween where theboundaryisclearlymapped.Skam’s is incontrastto “make believe” performances, formance andeverydayreality(2013:43). This tage thatboundary” betweentheworldofper when “performances intentionallyblurorsabo- belief,” whichSchechnerseesasoccurring Schechner,following Victor Turner,calls “make time issimilartoperformancesthatRichard broadcasting ofSkaminwhatseemstobereal same worldastheirownpersonalstories. The with theseriesasifitwerehappeningin Indeed, viewersareencouragedtofollowalong foregrounds therealityofeventsdepicted. tribulations ofyoungpeoplesetinawaythat tiously forcesanexaminationofthetrialsand in theatreSkamdoeson TV. Skamunpreten- upstate New York. What Nelson’splaysdo from theperspectiveofthreeadultsistersin The playsinvestigatethesesignificantevents versary oftheassassinationJohnF. Kennedy. 2012 presidentialelection, andthe50thanni- elections, the10thanniversaryof9/11, the as theyareset:ontheeveof2010midterm Public Theater inNew York atthesametime of thefour Apple Familyplayspremieredatthe Family Cycle, writtenbyRichardNelson. Each method ofbroadcastingresemblesthe Apple vision seriesarehappeninginrealtime. This it appearasiftheeventsdepictedintele- they arereleasedontheonlinewebsitemakes tain timeanddatedirectlycorrelatingtowhen long. Situatingtheeventsofshowatacer into oneepisode, running20to50minutes At theendofweek, theclipsarecompiled time stampforthemomentclipwasposted. frame isimmediatelyoverlaidwithadateand when aviewerchoosestowatchtheepisode - - - Critical Acts 157 which she then — portrait-style picture, in which portrait-style picture, In addition to the blue and gray coloring of In addition to the blue and gray coloring onds, and then deletes it. This introduces dra- and then deletes it. onds, as viewers wait for Eva to send matic tension, this incendiary message the messages to indicate sender and recipient, when the characters use Facebook Messenger icons they are represented by the pictographic mes- they have chosen to pop up next to their which function as an exten- sages in that app, The sion of the identity of the character. - icons represent the way in which the charac In episode seven of ter wants to be perceived. have a conversa- Vilde Isak and season three, who Isak, tion using messaging applications. is struggling with reconciling his masculinity has chosen a cartoon with his homosexuality, This purpose- drawing for his personal icon. ful distortion of Isak’s appearance highlights his personal insecurities and his unwilling- ness to present his entire identity to the pub- to His representation stands in contrast lic. ­ a staged, Vilde’s, decides not to, and deletes. Watching Eva make Watching and deletes. decides not to, her decision draws viewers even further into her character as they see her thought process would This played out in the messaging app. of the not be possible without the visualization smart phone applications onscreen. she both attempts to control her own image while also projecting a confident and popu- constantly seeks affirmation from Vilde lar self. - , season 1, episode 6. Directed by Julie Andem. Figure 1. Jonas. Skam, season 1, episode 6. Directed by Julie Andem. (Screenshot by Connor Pearce) are conducted as ’s method of Skam’s method

While the show visually repli- Furthermore, As relationships in Skam delivering content to view- delivering its use of social ers is new, appli- media and messaging cations within the show of points to the inseparability worlds the online and offline On in today’s youth culture. show’s the website where the are there clips are posted, mes- also screenshots from mes- These saging apps. to the sages are connected series world of the television by the continuous presence of smartphones and social When the characters media. their texts are texting or messaging each other, contained within the chat appear onscreen, bubbles that are used by the messaging apps. in a scene in episode six of the For example, Eva and Jonas have a conversation first season, - from either side of the schoolyard over iMes char The messages appear next to each sage. which avoids any suggestion that acters’ head, the world of online communication is separate from communication conducted face-to-face. cates messaging applications such as iMessage the messages and and Facebook Messenger, for blue onscreen are colored accordingly, In this the sender and gray for the recipient. relation- whose the messages from Eva, scene, sea- ship breakdown with Jonas is the focus of are while those from Jonas are blue, son one, This places the viewer in the position of gray. as the color of the conversation reminds Eva, viewers that they are seeing the action from her in each episode often esca- Tension perspective. lates through the anticipation of further mes- sages being sent. - the pre much via text message as in person, sentation of messaging applications is central to the way in which dialogue is conducted and In the same scene plot structure is developed. “FUCK Eva writes out between Eva and Jonas, for a few sec- lets the line flash unsent YOU,” these boundaries have lost these boundaries in much of the their meaning daily. media we consume Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 158

Critical Acts Julie Andem. (ScreenshotbyConnorPearce) Figure 2.Screenshot2:Eva.Skam,season1,episode6.Directedby his friendJonas, “Smiley?” inquiringwhether that, inresponse, Even willcallIsak. Isakasks give himadviceonhowtomessage Evenso dle hisrelationshipwithEven. Isak’sfriends with hisgroupoffriends, attempts torekin- nication inSkam. Inthesameepisode, Isak, these messagingapplicationsaretocommu- ture inahand-drawnnoteshowshowcentral retention ofthemessagingapplicationstruc- materials bywhichthisnoteisconveyed, the and thereforeauthentic. Despitethedifferent contained inthemessageseemsmoretangible by drawingthemessagehand, thethought Isak andEven’sconversationsviatext;however, sage inthestyleofatextmessage. This mimics hand-draws amobilephoneandwriteshismes- his locker. Ratherthan writinginprose, Even tity, sendsalovenotetoIsakbyplacingitin problems andIsak’spreviouslyclosetediden- of thethirdseasondespitehismentalhealth who becomesIsak’sboyfriendoverthecourse Again inepisodesevenofseasonthree, Even, in thewaythatIsakandEvencommunicate. tions forthecharactersinSkamisalsoevident and ascuratedversionsof themselves. extensions ofthecharacters’ownpersonalities Representations likethesefunctionbothas as havingahighersocialstatusintheschool. attempts tobefriendindividualswhomshesees ing closetohergroupoffriendswith those aroundherandstrugglestobalancestay- The centralityofthesemessagingapplica- ing sites seem asifIsakisauserofthesesocialnetwork- and numerousothercharacters. This makesit as wellmessagessenttoEven, Vilde, Jonas, sent toIsak’sflatmatesinagroupchatroom, from Isak’saccount. Viewers canseemessages three isairing, messagesonthewebsitearesent individual character’sperspective. While season messages postedonthewebsiterepresentan as eachseasonfollowsacertaincharacter, the that aresentduringthetelevisionseries. Just sages arerelatedtobutnotthesameasthose site includessnippetsofmessages. These mes- characters withineachepisode, theshow’sweb- are fortheshow’sintended audience. interactions inthephysicalworld, justasthey forms depictedinSkamareinseparablefrom the worldofSkam. The onlinemessagingplat- rors themeshingofrealandfictionalin the fictitiousplay(messagesfromRiley)mir gling ofeverydayreality(textsfrommom)and partner, mother, andfriends. This intermin - scroll throughalmost endlessly. This styleof grated intoasinglecolumn, which onecan sode clipisfirstreleasedon. Thetwoareinte- threads appearonthesamesite thateachepi- inseparable fromtheactualepisodes. Chat on thewebsitealsopointstohow theyare a partofhisstory. for ashorttimewehavetheprivilegeofbeing In additiontothemessagessentbetween The wayinwhichthesechatsarearranged — just likemuchoftheaudience side textmessagesfromher tional character, along- messages fromRiley, afic- how unsettlingitistosee Cesare Schotzkorelates My Texts?”to T.Nikki Why Won’t RileyRespond Dreams ofRiley’sFriends; or, in PhysicalPlant Theater’s essay, “Site-Unspecificity saging applications. Inher communication onmes- nication isinseparablefrom how interpersonalcommu- from EventoIsakpoint this exchangeandthenote at home,’ nofeelings.” Both replies “No!‘Chilling Jonas ing emoticoninthetext. or notheshouldputasmil- — - and Critical Acts 159 While other television shows use social only offers a new way of interacting with a tele- barriers but also breaks down the vision series, between fiction and nonfiction in the medium of television. and integrate media as a promotional tool, messaging applications into the dialogue of the there is no separation between in Skam, show, the social media accounts of the characters and world of The the filmed portions of the show. the show goes beyond what we see onscreen Alongside the messages to social media sites. - Andem. Figure 4. Screenshot 4: Isak. Skam, season 3, episode 7. Directed by Julie (Screenshot by Connor Pearce) Andem. Figure 3. Screenshot 3: Isak. Skam, season 3, episode 7. Directed by Julie (Screenshot by Connor Pearce) - - - viewers can follow the characters, viewers can follow the characters, —

as just another semi-

Skam and the world of website imitates the style of website imitates social media other popular such as Facebook, websites, and Twitter, Instagram, There is no clear Tumblr. between the differentiation a televi- content produced as of each the clips sion series, and the messages episode, image- and images posted to such as sharing applications Instagram by the characters Furthermore, in the series. the style of presentation appears even more coher ent when viewed in a mobile ent when viewed in a While laptop com- browser. puters are present in the the characters more show, frequently communicate over smartphones — and the show’s online format encour fictionalized online personal story challenges our under just as they follow anyone from their real circle accounts the Facebook Currently, of contacts. are offline; the links to the pages go to a site that states the content has been deleted or is however, The Instagram accounts, inaccessible. The last post on the Instagram remain active. char tied to the account therealsanabakkoush, ages spectators to do the The lack of any sep- same. aration between the world of the audience represented within social media has an unsettling effect for view- The presentation of ers. Skam standing of the distinction between the fictional and The inseparabil- the real. ity of the characters’ online presence from the spec- tators’ own online identi- ties is further established by the presence of each character on Instagram or Facebook is the protagonist of season four, acter Sana, The integration of these dated 25 June 2017. social media sites into the show’s structure not Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28September 2021 160 Critical Acts character Sana. Another exampleofthisblur but italsoexistsinthefictionalworldofSkam’s tweet, fromtheactual Al Jazeeranewsnetwork, governing bodyforbasketball. This isareal references adecisionbyFIBA, theinternational basketball gameswasreversedtoday,” which women wearingthehijabduringprofessional 2017. The tweetreads, “The banonMuslim by Al JazeeraEnglishandwaspostedon4May displaying a Twitter feed. The tweetshownis One exampleisaphotoofcomputerscreen references toeventsoutsidetheworldofSkam. includes notonlyphotosofherself, butalso Instagram accountisregularlyupdated. This to lookintothelivesofcharacters. Sana’s not partofeachepisode, providinganotherway uploaded toInstagramcontainfootagethatis that areposted, thephotographsandvideos ever theaccountistiedtoactor’s actual they takephotosofthemselves backstage, how- acters. Actors mayhave Instagramsiteswhere sentation ofthefictionallives of fictionalchar uncommon, anduniquetoSkam , istherepre- user’s friendstocelebrities. However, whatis the reallivesofpeoplewhorangefroma networking applicationisusedtodocument their photographsinmyriadways, thesocial Although Instagram’sfiltersallowuserstoedit the worldofSkamintoviewer. Following thesocialmediaaccountsintegrates viewer followsanyoftheseInstagramaccounts. media networks. and therealitydepictedwithinthesesocial how theyunderstandsitessuchasInstagram, ence. These postsforceviewerstoreconsider the worlditrepresents:ofaudi- arability oftheworldtelevisionshowand Sana’s Instagrampostalsohighlightstheinsep- girls,” accordingtoIngrid(season4, episode2). not oneofthe “cool, normalNorwegianparty her treatmentbygirlsatschoolasanoutsider, status withintheshowasaMuslimbutalso a patriot.” This notonlyreferencesSana’sown “When yourimmigrantwiferemindsyoutobe chest forthenationalanthem. Sanacomments, band Donald toplacehishandover a videoofMelania Trump nudgingherhus- Sana’s Instagramaccountfrom18 April, with the useofsocialmediaoccursinapostto ring betweenthefictionalandrealthrough This lackofseparationistotallylostoncea - - medium oftheatre, ErikaFischer-Lichte notes: and therealstilloperate? Writing aboutthe own reality. ing experience, causingustoquestionour a fictionalizedaccountcanbedeeplyunnerv- extensions ofourselves, thencomingupagainst is thatifwethinkofsocialmediaaccountsas their identity. The moreunsettlingpartofthis curated byusers, presentingaparticularsideof what ispostedtoInstagramandFacebook networking sitestoperformourownidentities: we arealsoremindedthatusethesesocial the charactersdepictedintelevisionshow, and exciting. While wecanfeelevencloserto sion showandreality. This isbothunsettling no boundarybetweentheworldoftelevi- sites andmessagingapplications, Skamputsup away withthisseparation. With bothInstagram than theidentityofcharacter. Skamdoes selves areassociatedwiththisidentity, rather identity. Any imagesoftheactor’sfictionalized cept” (95). Inthis senseSkamforcesview- stimulated anewdiscussionof its verycon- aesthetic experienceisabout, and inthisway ter toourtraditionalunderstanding ofwhat ticular aestheticexperiencewhich rancoun- the realandfictional, whichcreated “apar mances attheturnof21stcenturyblended program. As Fischer-Lichte observes, perfor television byintegratingsocialmediaintothe comes thisseparationthatisusuallyinherentin than occursinfilmortelevision. Skamover the separationbetweenviewerandperformer is alwaysatplayintheatre, asthereislessof This frissonbetweentherealandfictional tional andthereal. (2008:84) ety oftransgressionsbetweenthefic- often gaveandstilldogiverisetoavari- spaces [...] These circumstancesquite the stage, maysignifyvariousfictional spaces. At thesametime, therealspace, ies whichmoveinandthroughthereal consumes, andtherearealwaysrealbod- is alwaysrealtimethattheperformance spaces whereperformancestakeplace, it real andthefictional. Foritisalwaysreal between realityandfiction, betweenthe pens, itischaracterizedbyatension Whenever andwherevertheatrehap- Does thedistinctionbetweenfictional - - - Critical Acts 161

Theatre Research Research Theatre Dramaserie på P3.no.” Accessed 15 May Accessed 15 May Dramaserie på P3.no.” — 60, 3 (T231):160–65. TDR 60, Texts?” Respond to My twitter.com/AJ Accessed 15 May 2017. 9:00am. English/status/860162118376603653. www 2017. Accessed 15 May 6:51pm UTC. .instagram.com/p/BTCZM3xAvrp/. www Accessed 15 May 2017. 7:18pm UTC. .instagram.com/p/BTrpB8ygWCZ/. in Contemporary Theatre.” 1:84–96. International 33, Palgrave Macmillan. “Skam skam.p3.no/. 2017. Sara Brady. Media Editor, 3rd ed. An Introduction, London: Routledge. Theater’s Failure: Site-Unspecificity in Plant Riley Why Won’t ; or, of Riley’s Friends Dreams References 4 May, post, Twitter 2017. Al Jazeera English. April, 18 Instagram post, 2017a. Sana. Bakkoush, 4 May, post, Instagram 2017b. Sana. Bakkoush, “Reality and Fiction 2008. Erika. Fischer-Lichte, Basingstoke: of the Real. Theatre 2013. Carol. Martin, 2017. Corporation (NRK). Norwegian Broadcasting Studies: Performance (2002) 2013. Richard. Schechner, “Message Send 2016. Nikki Cesare. T. Schotzko, -

In its innovative use of social media, Skam of social media, In its innovative use reminds us Skam reminds us of the two. gent combination “the fictional story Martin writes, as Carol that, real times and people it is inseparable from the (2013:162). represents” the boundaries between forces us to reconsider real and what we see as what we believe to be the world of the show By integrating fictional. and by using instant with the online world, as part of the dialogue messaging applications blurs the boundary between Skam of the series, create a unique participa- reality and fiction to and in so doing crit- tory aesthetic experience of ically reflects upon the purported realness the media we consume and the connections between the screen and the reality we inhabit. - The resulting aesthetic experience both mim ics and investigates the role that social media and how the plays in the lives of young people, dominance of this mode of interaction forces a reevaluation of our understanding of reality and fiction. ers to reevaluate what the aesthetic experience what the aesthetic ers to reevaluate it is the literal whether is about, of television outside of the a world our world, depiction of or an emer experientially, one we encounter Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00700 by guest on 28 September 2021