Review: En blick är en blick är en blick
The audience in the crossfire of eyes – How does it feel when an actor stares?
I arrive at the Lilla Teatern auditorium among the first spectators. The hall is otherwise empty, but the actors are already on stage. Three of them have their backs to the audience, but three have their eyes on the audience. In that crossfire of glances, it’s confusing to go and sit in your own seat.
As the name suggests, the Swedish-language play En blick är en blick is about the gaze. Actors are the object of attention in their work. Hundreds of pairs of eyes from the audience stare at them, who notice even the smallest mistakes.
In this play, the gaze shifts to the audience. How does it feel to sit in the audience when the actor looks you straight in the eye? It creates a confusing feeling when the roles are turned upside down. After all, an actor is not supposed to look at the audience!
I notice that my own eyes start to wander. I’d rather stare at the wall or ceiling than at the actors. The program is also strangely more interesting than observing the performers.
Written and acted by students
Lilla Teatern’s play has been produced in collaboration with the Swedish-speaking students of the Theatre Academy. They have written the script for the play and appear in the main roles themselves.
That is why the play is very different from what theatre audiences are used to. Part of the experimental approach is that only part of the play is scripted in advance. Some of them improvised on stage.
The students also get to demonstrate their language skills, as three languages are spoken during the presentation, which lasts just over an hour. Most of the performance is in Swedish, but in addition to that, the actors speak fluent Finnish and English.
The play consists of individual scenes that are connected in one way or another by the gaze. The students have each been able to choose their own character to jump into. On stage, we will see the headmaster of Hogwarts (Mathilda Kruse), Jesus (Emilia Jansson) and a collection of other celebrities at a tea party.
Put on women’s breasts and rock
The characters sail from one atmosphere to another. In one of the best scenes, acting student Emilie Zilliacus reads the story of Princess Diana’s wedding.
He has urged the audience to close their eyes. It’s completely dark in the hall, so the viewer can’t help but listen to the calmly unfolding story and imagine a beautiful bride and a London church in their heads.
Another equally great scene is when Herman Nyby pulls on women’s breasts and starts rocking. It’s just as amusing every time a man dresses up as a woman. Nyby also has the right attitude and the positive spirit is contagious to me.
All in all, the entire play conveys the enthusiasm of the acting students. They are fully engaged in doing everything, even though it is not entirely clear to the audience why Jesus has to rise from the hatch in the floor. In any case, the scene is great!
However, students still have work to do before they graduate from their five-year degree. At the beginning of the play, there is a confusing silence, the students are standing on the stage and clearly waiting for something. I assume that at that point the audience should applaud. However, a small tip would be in order, as there is not a whisper from the audience.
In any case, in a few years’ time, Mathilda Kruse, Emilia Jansson, Oksana Lommi, Herman Nyby, Antti Saarikallio and Emilie Zilliacus have grown into full-blooded actors who will hopefully be seen on the stage of Lilla Teatern again.