Details

This physical theatre piece explores various representations of the character of Ophelia, set in contemporary times. We meet a woman being questioned by unknown men in the remains of a building during a time of war. Is it the remains of a hospital or a makeshift prison? The woman claims to be Ophelia. The proposition is that she has assumed the various identities of this fictional character as a coping strategy, and through these various masks she attempts to rewrite Ophelia's (and her own) past, to resurrect and give voice to this character, and in doing so, to be able to change her own future. Will she be able to emerge from ceaselessly drowning in the river of the past and create a new future for herself? The questioners are trying to extract information from Ophelia and to establish whether or not she is mad or a threat to their regime. The action is split between the reality of her captivity, and her projected/fantasy world, in which she encounters and confronts other characters from Shakespeare's play. All this is explored through movement, text and song. This is a development showing of a new piece created by physical theatre company Waving Not Drowning.