Lunch Break

by Venia Stamatiadi, Clara Lama Schmit

Premiere: October 14, 2021
Espace des Arts, Scène Nationale - Chalon-sur-Saône

In collaboration with the theater companie Delos Mekanik

One of the first things that struck me when I arrived in Paris in 2013 was the narrowness of its grand avenues. I felt the walls of its beautiful buildings pressing down on me; I felt myself disintegrating under the pressure to resemble others and to remain “myself.” Lies, I tell you. I didn’t want to remain “myself” at all, if by “myself” we mean speaking forever with this “cute accent.” I wanted to finally make it disappear forever, to be an actress like the others, speaking French like a true Parisian and not a “Greek” who is also an actress. I always had this impression that being a foreigner, not being part of the collective unconscious of the place, and above all, this “cute accent” of mine, stole roles, rights, my personality, my life. I was nothing more than an outlet, yes, you understood correctly, an English outlet that needs an adapter to function. But where were they selling these cultural adapters?

Who is the “Foreigner,” the “Other,” the - often - “unacceptable”?

What defines him?

What makes you “Foreign” in a new situation, in “another country”?

What defines this “other country”?

Is it the language, the habits, the collective unconscious, the common place, the common memory?

Their combination?

A combination that does not match yours?

Maybe the demands that others have on you, and that you are not always able to decipher?

Or better yet, the demands you have on yourself and that you never meet?

And in all of this, does the “self” remain the same, or does it gradually change too?

Does it become “Foreign” to you?

Starting from personal experiences and narratives, we attempt to explore all these questions, creating the framework for an experience of similar events from the audience. Employing humor and imagination, we shape a society with new codes, habits, and language, placing it in a familiar context and inviting the audience - our co-players - not just to watch a play but to live a complete experience, pleasant and awkward, funny and strange, entertaining and violent. Like “foreigners” in their own city.

Credits

Photo Gallery