The Anamnesis of Love That Was Ended By a Spectator
Psychosis 4:48 is a fragmentary text with an unconventional dramatic plan, a highly emotional ride across a fragmented human consciousness. By its very composition, themes, undetermined space-time and characters (no gender is specified, but neither is the number), the text compels a distinctly loose interpretation. However, the basic information for a sort of orientation can be deduced: the fragmentary story of a patient and her psychiatrist. The course of her treatment in a psychiatric hospital is accompanied by a detailed medical history and narrative monologues that alternate between the poetic and the prosaic. The thematic framework is also wide-ranging: suicide, critiques of outdated psychiatric practices, religious and social aspects, the symbolic linking of time and space, peer compatibility, and toxicity (which is based on the role of the dominant versus the submissive), and, finally, redemptive love – redemption or just a subtle drop of liquid into a sea of suffering.
The creator, Sarah Kane, a key exponent of the aesthetics of writing and the theatrical phenomenon of in-yer-face, knew how to shock, provoke, and penetrate primitive human senses with her writing and conception of existential suffering, exposing them to the image of harsh reality. Explicit images of physical and psychological violence, communication through vulgar words, the bestial exposure of Homo sapiens at the expense of his freedom, will, emotions, and mission - this is also how one could describe her original and unique poetics.
The creative team of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade conceived Kane's text as it should be - emotionally, interactively, penetratingly, and experientially. They artfully, engagingly, and evocatively divided the composition of the text into sequences, where monologues and dialogues converged as if under the guillotine. Explicit images of a grittier and more carnal stamping were also a powerful experience to digest. The verbal shootout, in particular, worked well in the author’s interpretation of the characters: the patient and her alter ego, and we could feel we were watching a coin of one value, each side of which was differently wounded and vulnerable. Their saviour (or tormentor), i.e. the psychiatrist, conducted a stoic, flirtatious, and manipulative dialogue. The performances here are emotionally charged, with excellent capturing of ironic, antagonistic, and painful tones.
The stage design moved the audience closer to the epicentre, right into an intimate space where a dose of schizophrenia and agony was given. An atmosphere like being in the interior of the human mind was set by the translucent curtains around the entire square stage, as well as the lighting design with a stark white glow during the patient's interrogation.
The interaction between the actors and the audience was an enchanting addition to the author's interpretation, whether it was a series of questions with subjective answers, or an invitation to approach the actress directly on the hospital bed. This principle of rapprochement, along with the set design, made for a more intimate and vulnerable viewing experience. It was the horrific images in the story of the suffering man that left us traumatised, but this time with a positive memory.
