Final Show

The idea for the final show is to create a non linguistic theatre piece that ''speaks'' about subjects of the inner self. In this piece I will try to externalize what is going on inside people when they are experiencing situations that cause them frustration, stress, tension, anxiety and other intense feelings. To show that I will mainly use body movements and set/object movements and transformations and in this way I am aiming to present a place where inner and outer world are combined. By this combination I mean the unity of the proper structured movements and appearances as we all know them to be recognisable, coordinated and meaningfull with other movements that signify the internal experiences and interrupt or subverse the normal ones. It is like trying to give more importance to energies, instincts and drives that we have and give them more space to act out rather than allowing hints of them to be seen through our normal controlled actions, as all healthy structured people do. For this aim I have chosen the subject of narcissism to be the foundation (for extra details on the choice of subject, the decision on the non-linguistic and an example scene check the blog entry titled ''diploma stage presentation'').
In this piece that presents a relationship between a narcissist and a non-narcissist, there is an extra character (as I choose to call it although not a human) which is theatre. Since theatre reflects life, I've chosen to make it active in this relationship mainly because I want to show how life gets in the way and how it can dictate or alter needs and situations interferring with relationships as well as show that - although the characters have the 'tools' to try and keep the balancies as they know them - it is not always in their hands to do so. The main characteristics of the characters in this story are:

Na is a person with characteristics from Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). In order for her to exist away from the feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem that are hidden in her unconscious, she has structured a false self of perfection and has adopted this image for herself as a role for life. Deprived of that role she cannot function. Since this perfect image is fake, she depends on others to constantly preserve it and relates with others for the only purpose of getting the affirmation for that image that she is unable to find in herself. Since this need is the only reason why she makes relationships, she uses people as her narcissistic supply and of course doesn’t care for the needs that relations actually have. She is self-centred, always acting her role and must never touch the ground since that would mean she is ‘off her stage’ which is unbearable. She is always comparing others with herself in her attempt to be proven superior and flawless but she cannot stand any comparisons or criticism by others. She is manipulative, shows no empathy for others and can be aggressive and revengeful when her supply doesn’t manage to reflect that false self of hers at all times. When something goes wrong she is never to blame. When her perfect image is questioned or shaken she can be distressed and devastated by the fear of inner truth being revealed.

Nonna is a non narcissist. She is Na’s narcissistic supply and more or less her servant. She admires Na, borrows elements from her and adopts them in her life. She makes sure everything is in place for Na’s show to be perfect and ‘feeds’ Na with what she needs to preserve her false self. Her own problems and needs are never taken care of, she is never the priority. Whenever something goes wrong she is always the one to blame and she is punished in ways that cause her tension, frustration and anxiety. Although her own normality is seriously hurt by Na’s actions, demands and the effect they have on her, Nonna can be easily fooled by Na to carry on with her duty as a servant even when she is almost broken down. Although she can’t bear the adverse effects of this relationship with Na, she never abandons her.

Theatre is the third character. Apart from the place where the relationship is sheltered, theatre is also an ‘organism’ that affects it. It provides a stage and audience for Na to live her ‘role’ and offers Nonna its tools to serve her. The several parts of theatre are used by the other two but they also have functions of their own and act independently to interfere with them. Theatre can dictate where stage is or isn’t, when a show starts or ends, who is the protagonist and which space is available or decide what remains hidden backstage or what should be exposed challenging in several ways the fake balance the relationship is built upon. At the same time theatre doesn’t remain intact itself since the actions and situations going on within its walls affect it too and leave their traces on it.


These are some photos from the making procedure. Since I don't have a space to work in yet, you can't really grasp the part of theatre, but it' s a start. Just keep in mind for now that a lot of the actions and changes in them are provoked by sound starting normal but ending up slowed down or distorted, spotlights going on and off, sound of audience applauding, etc.