Cannibals or Failure Is Not Accepted
Second-year students of the Berlin Academy feature Cannibals at this Encounter edition. Empty stage. A table made of rostrum parts. Five characters, and the performance may start.
Performance. Success. You will make it, and if not, we will not expel you, we will only be giving you smaller and smaller chances to express yourself. We will not give you an opportunity to show that we have underestimated you. Do not worry, this is how the system works, whether at work or at an art school.
Airport and airplanes. Crowds of people, all trying not to miss their flight, they cannot miss their flight, for their responsibility is not to miss their flight. A character on stage, enjoying exactly this feeling. This meaningless power over lives of others. Before she approaches her gate, she waits until her name is head from the loudspeakers.
A meeting at a workplace. The best performance is expected. You are not allowed to say that something is not finished yet. We have been trained in policies for these cases. All must be perfect. Failure is neither accepted nor excused.
An art school of higher education. The theatre atmosphere. Is art to be creative, open, and inspiring? Maybe it used to be, but now we have adopted an economic system and we strive for high performance. Success. You will make it, and if not, we will not expel you, we will only be giving you smaller and smaller roles. Do not worry, this is how the system works, whether at work or at an art school.
Uniformity in costumes. Empty scene. A couple of chairs. A performance authored by students, causing a smile in places, but, at the same time, strongly true, freezing the smile on the lips. You do not have to know the corporate environment intimately, but when transformed on stage, it becomes unpleasantly familiar. Simplicity and austerity of the scene underlines the rough and urgent message. Energy. Rhythm. Choreography. Materiality and the performers´ presence on stage with minimum props. Cannibals, do we devour each other to achieve success? Yes. And we find it normal.
