A BRILLIANT IMPERFECTION
(or the death of a pianist)
PREMIERED ON 16th JANUARY AT THE TNC
I am always surprised how the audience is surprised to see a good performance by the fact that it comes from a neurodivergent person, or in the case of the performers I work with, from a person with Down's Syndrome. We see it as an exceptional thing, because unfortunately our stages are still quite lame in the representation of the full social spectrum. And, with all good faith, we break out in praise, and even in a clumsy way, we become condescending and even paternalistic.
And I am very much afraid that this whirlwind of feelings and actions following the inclusive stage act are due to an unconfessed feeling of superiority. Just as it hurts to recognise that we all have sexist or racist behaviour.
Alexandre Jollien, disabled activist, says that pity is the most destructive weapon towards an individual.
Or Insual, an influencer with cerebral paralysis, ‘I'll stab the next person who calls me a champion’.
Where have we learned that the art of communication, whether through dance or theatre, is at odds with neurodivergence? As long as there is talent or work or whatever it is that puts us on stage, we ALL have the right to be looked at and admired.
And this is what this show wants to talk about.
To normalise disability once and for all, through penetrating humour and without compassion towards condescension. With all affection, always.
"For you are not real people, we are here to inspire you. I am here on stage, in my wheelchair, looking like this and you are probably waiting for me to inspire or motivate you to be a better person, or to compare your life with ours and motivate you to move forward. So you look at me and you might think, as bad as your life is, it could always be worse. You could be me.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry to tell you that we are about to disappoint you dramatically. We are not here to inspire you.
Vero Cendoya
IDEA AND DIRECTION: VERO CENDOYA / DRAMATURGY: VERO CENDOYA AND ISRAEL SOLÀ / PERFORMERS AND CREATION: ANDRÉA VIBERT, DAVID LÓPEZ, HANSEL NEZZA, JEM PRENAFETA, JOEL BALSEIRO, LINN JOHANSSON, SÒNIA MOLINS, ORIOL PRATS / ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: BARBARA MENESES / THEATRE ASSISTANT: LAIA CABRERA / MUSICAL COMPOSITION: ADELE MADAU AND RAI JIMÉNEZ / LIGHTING AND SPACE DESIGN: CUBE.BZ / COSTUME DESIGN: PAU AULÍ / COSTUME ASSISTANT: MARCEL PUIGVÍ / INTERNSHIP STUDENT: TXELL ROVIRA / PHOTOS: KIKU PIÑOL / VIDEO: JOAN CARLES DAUSIN AND VERO CENDOYA / VIDEO PARTICIPANTS: LAIA MARTÍ, ARIANNA DINWOODIE, BERTA CASANOVA, NÀDIA BETANZOS, GEMMA FONTANALS, POL FONTANALS, ANNA LÁZARO, MOUSTAFA MEDJMADJ AND MARTA DOMINGUEZ / ARTISTIC RESIDENCY: ESPAI DE MARGE / TECHNICAL RESIDENCY: AUDITORI TEATRE ESPAI TER DE TORROELLA DE MONTGRÍ / PRODUCTION: LÍDIA SERRAT / ADMINISTRATION: JOAN FABREGAT
A CO-PRODUCTION BY Cia. Vero Cendoya, Teatre Nacional de Catalunya and IntercettAzioni - Centro di Residenza Artistica della Lombardia / CLAPS Circuit
THANKS TO: Gratacós, Cia. La Taimada, Olga Álvarez, Cristina Cañadas, Mateu Bru, Bexnil, Albert Baldomà and Rosa Pino.
Inspired by Eli Claire's book ‘A brilliant imperfection’.
