Lola Arias | THE DAY AFTER (working title)

“The Day After” is part of a diptych on the subject of rape. It shifts the focus from the representation of rape to the question of the “after.” At the center of the piece are two performers – the artist Claire Froës and the musician Elia Rediger – who take the stage to re-enact Claire’s own trial, transforming the testimonies, the words of the perpetrators, and the machinery of the justice system into music, video, and live performance. In this re-enactment, the audience plays a central role through its direct participation.

The residency coincides with the first rehearsal phase, during which Arias and her collaborators will develop the dramaturgical structure of the piece, with particular attention to performativity, space, and sound composition. Working with Claire and Elia as the lead performers, alongside dramaturg Bibiana Mendes and set and costume designer Irene Ip, Arias will also test staging and costume devices, exploring different possibilities for audience participation. Spectators will be invited onto the stage to take on roles from the trial, receiving a mask, wig, costume, and headphones through which they will be given instructions. To this end, Arias aims to invite a small group of people to try out these moments of audience interaction.