Viciousness in the kitchen

In the framework of the 3rd X-Dream Festival, the ODC Ensemble presents its new work “Viciousness in the Kitchen” at the ARTos Foundation on the 14th and 15th December 2011. Because the turn to poetry is necessary today, the work of Sylvia Plath “Three women, a poem for three voices”, became the starting point for director Elli Papakonstantinou to set up an unpredictable performance in a… kitchen. There, where the most critical episodes of the life of the poet unraveled, the performers Maria Panourgia, Andrian Frieling and Valia Papachristou cook dinner for the audience, while moving in the frenetic expressionistic world of Plath.

“Three Women” is a radio-play for three voices by Sylvia Plath. Each voice is a different aspect of the feminine. The first woman feels complete through birth, the second has a miscarriage and the third one gives birth to a child and then abandons it. In “Three Women”, Sylvia Plath not only speaks about pregnancy, birth and death but also about those moments in one’s life, when reality is distorted and fantasy merges into a terrifying amalgam. It’s about feeling vulnerable and it’s about the internal, the uncontrollable transformation into something yet unknown. Fears and dangers, life and death.

This performance sprung out of a feeling of displacement. Recent political situation in Greece, anger and oppression forces us to reconsider theatre and to invent a new narrative that would transcend traditional theatrical codes: a narrative that succeeds to speak of the unspeakable changes that take place in ourselves and in our society.

The radio-play is the starting point for a performance of one musician and three performers (two women and two men). It is rather a visual arts performance, since the group worked with very specific visual references and since performance takes place within an installation. At the same time it is a musical performance, a live concert with the musician composing ad hoc sound-scapes that are interwoven dynamically with the spoken word, or music for performers to dance. This sound installation takes place within a space that is “trapped” with sensors that give performers the chance to interfere with the composition. It all adds up to a live concert!

But, maybe, it’s just an invitation to dinner. The whole performance takes place in a kitchen where Plath’s most crucial episodes of life took place, including her suicide. So, at the base of this event there is a very simple action: dinning. The performers cook for their audience while acting out Plath’s dangerous games. At the end, they serve and join audience for dinner. Now, is this theatre or an invitation to dinner?

Director: Elli Papakonstantinou
Music: Lampros Pigounis
Set: Telis Karananos, Alexandra Siafkou
Choreographer: Amalia Bennet
Performers: Adrian Freiling, Maria Panourgia, Valia Papachristou, Lampros Pigounis
Production: ODC

ODC Ensemble
Formed in 2001, ODC Ensemble is a registered charity company based in Athens. It is a creative team of outstanding performers, dancers, musicians and visual artists. This cross-cultural and inter-disciplinary group is constantly evolving with a core of Greek performers, collaborating with artists from Britain, Germany and France.

Through their work, they aim to develop cultural exchange between artists from diverse backgrounds and are always looking to expand their reach to new regions. They believe in the need for ongoing experimentation in theatre and are in search of a new theatrical language that will transcend linguistic barriers, exploring notions of storytelling, musicality in the framework of an ensemble.

ODC Ensemble’s work has been presented at the Edinburgh Festival, the LAMAMA theatre, NY, the International Festival of Experimental Theatre in Cairo, The International Festival of Ancient Drama in Delphi, the Princeton University, the Opera House of Cairo, the National Theatre of Greece, the inauguration Ceremony of the Library of Alexandria etc.

It has received acclaimed reviews:
“Totally mad and mesmerizing... See it to believe it”. The Guardian

“An outstanding performance with a truly interesting and refreshing approach to the ancient Greek text” BBC WORLDWIDE

“A mixture of theatre and music, a show that cannot be unnoticed” THE HELLENIC MINISTRY OF CULTURE