CALASTINE
Calastine is a short novel inspired by the article, “What Earth might look like in 80 years if we're lucky — and if we're not.” by Dave Mosher and Aylin Woodward. It is a dystopian world, set in 2,100. In this future, the surface of Earth is no longer habitable due the catastrophic effects from the Climate Emergency. This fictional world is an exploration of a monumental problem that requires urgent attention, written from the perspective of a 17-year-old female protagonist, Milia. Monster hurricanes, colossal acid rains and deserts of burned lands have driven society underground, the fortunate survivors exist in a sheltered reality. For Milia, the facility is all she’s ever known, although in her dreams, humanities deep connection to nature calls for her, echoing in her bones.
I transformed its novel form into a staged variation. As an artistic practitioner, I did this to challenge challenge authoritative norms and discover what it meant to embody the characters I curated. Artistically with this decision, rehearsals became about discovering the relationship and dramaturgy of the political implications of this new form.
Focusing this piece on exploring ‘Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto’ by Legacy Russel, I offered the audience a juxtaposition, of the characters performing their actions obediently to an audio version of the novel, to the resistance and playfulness of neglecting the instructions as such and experimenting with glitches and performance as protest.
CALASTINE
“The year is 2100. June 7th, 2100, AC. June used to signify summer, my Grandmothers favorite season... Now I’m not sure what it signifies. I am seventeen years old; it is 1 day until my 18th birthday. Under no circumstance are we allowed to go on the surface, my parents and tutors tell me I will gain more responsibility when I become an adult. For the elevator will not go above level 25 without clearance, chirps of birds I’ve never seen, are played quietly from the speakers that are fitted in the hallway beyond my door. I think It’s the elder’s way of dealing with the overwhelming awareness that we are stuck down here…”
*The full version of this novel is currently being curated.*
Below are imagine from the showcased stage variation of Calastine
Image taken by Bridge Portraits
