What revolves inside tiny minds? Unfortunately, Swann (8) couldn’t be present to perform the play tonight. She apologizes about her absence through a video fragment projected on a LEGO wall. She fears the show will lose in quality without her. But why is she in this position? She hands us the answer before we could even start guessing. Her parents weren’t able to find a compromise about her doing theatre so she can only perform when she’s staying at her mother’s house.
Divorce is quite a heavy theme to make a performance about. Especially when the targeted audience is young people. How do you even start? Mohamed El Khatib decided the best way to put this whole show together was to bring young children into play. The eight-year-old comedians became somewhat the victim of their parent’s separation. That sounds pretty drastic but the director succeeded in finding a balance between the positive and negative aspects of the different situations they went through.
The children gathered different questions about their parent’s separation. After placing a lectern on stage, they began their discours. Taking turns and throwing these different questions in our face. Ranging from “Have you ever told your children you’d do anything for them?” to “Did you think I wouldn’t notice the signs of love and tenderness you two once showed, faded away?” and “Did you think you’d hurt me less by pretending everything was fine?” Sounds confronting don’t you think?
El Khatib made sure the audience was able to reflect upon those questions by adding an extreme personal storytelling segment. The kids sat at a table made out of LEGO to create a very childlike atmosphere, easing the harsh nature of the subject. They proceeded to exchange their personal stories about their parent’s separation and how it affected them in many ways. Framing it by adding visual elements like drawings and pictures.
Separation and divorce are really hard on parents so I wonder how strenuous it was for these kids to perform the play. Especially knowing they actually went through these rough patches. On one hand, the working process and the past traumas being brought up, might have been harmful for the kids. One the other hand, being able to talk about their emotions out loud may have helped them to heal, creating a safe space for them to feel understood. Whether it was one or the other, Mohamed El Khatib engaged the audience and potentially raised awareness on how to handle separation, focusing on the children’s well-being. An overall amazing work of art!
Maria Catalina Rodriguez Prieto
scenenews.news.blog 