Phoebe Brackett
Review of Sagittarius A
Directed by Yara Travieso
As soon as Sagittarius A begins, it is clear that there is a sharp contrast between the characterization of the
protagonist and that of the antagonist. Some storytellers choose to ‘humanize’
their antagonist. For instance, the antagonist may be given a backstory that
renders them to be more sympathetic. However, that may not be the goal of this performance.
The first portion of the piece sets the stage for this characterization. It begins
onstage, with a character named Sa. A villain is introduced when Sa loses her
limbs to a wolf. The wolf’s motivation is revealed; Sa’s many limbs made him
feel insignificant. And yet, judging from the manner in which his motivation/character
are introduced, the wolf’s motives do not aim to make him seem sympathetic. Rather,
he creeps around the stage and shows no hesitance or remorse. He has been
carefully crafted into a sinister caricature. It is my assumption that the
characters have been designed this way because they are personifications of
behaviors and ideas. Thus, the wolf can only have negative qualities because he
represents a negative behavior or idea.
The
performance continues with another character, Dr. Amalia, ‘interrupting’ the
onstage performer. After she begins her speech, images of the galaxy can be
seen on the ceiling. Dr. Amalia’s primary role is to reveal concepts from
astronomy that complement the rest of the piece. The most noteworthy concept is
that of a star turning into a black hole. It is a metaphor which prominently
represents the events of the performance. Alas, this concept is
representational of Sa’s transformation after losing her limbs.
Another story
in the piece begins with a character named Ana, whose tale is presented on a
screen. Ana is shown changing and being watched. Later, she is dancing in a
forest—only to be chased and attacked by a faceless villain. The story of Ana
being watched, chased, and attacked illustrates the process of being hunted. In
a paralyzing twist, Ana’s entire behavior changes. The earlier version of Ana
(from before she was attacked) is shown dancing in the forest again. But this
time, the camera view appears to be from the eyes of the hunter. Meanwhile, the
present version of Ana is vehement. She is snarling. Similar to the contrast
between the antagonist and the protagonist at the start of the performance,
there is yet another contrast—this time between that of the ‘before’ Ana and
the ‘after’ Ana. And yet again, the protagonist appears to have transformed
from a star to a black hole.
There are
several ways in which Ana’s story could be interpreted. First, Ana might have
acted differently after being hunted because she is powerful—despite what
happened to her. This theory is further supported by the performance describing
black holes to be powerful. The piece could be saying that experiencing trauma (i.e.
losing one’s ‘star’ or ‘limbs’) doesn’t make someone weak. Second, Ana may have
appeared to be hunting herself because she is simultaneously the hunted and the
hunter. Perhaps we are own wolves, and the ‘wolf’ or ‘black hole’ aspect of ourselves
is more powerful than the ‘goddess’ or ‘star’ aspect of ourselves. And third, Ana’s
change in behavior could be interpreted as a negative transformation. It could
be hypothesized that Ana’s experience turned her into a ‘wolf’ when her ‘star’
died. And the death of her ‘star’ could be representational of the death of her
happiness. If this theory is true, then the performance is, in fact, attempting
to humanize the antagonist (as this story would serve as a sort of backstory
for the wolf). Overall, my least favorite part of this piece was that it
contained conflicting potential conclusions. This could be resolved through a clear
statement of the film’s final conclusion.
I believe
that the first theory mentioned is the most likely explanation for this piece. In
other words, the performance explains that experiencing trauma does not mean an
individual is weak. The director, Yara Travieso, “creates films, stage works,
immersive installations, and live experiences centered around female
protagonists” [1]. It is apparent that this feminist director set out to create
a performance centered around sexual assault and oppression. Sa losing her
limbs, the process of a black hole becoming a star, and Ana being hunted could
all be representational of sexual assault. Yet the performance’s lack of
specificity yields a more general scope. Further, it could have expressed its
message more clearly—particularly after Ana is attacked. The end of Ana’s story
allows for a variety of conflicting conclusions to be drawn from her resulting
behavior. The director, however, does not appear to be striving for multiple
meanings, or for her piece to be ‘general’ or ‘open to interpretation.’ Thus, its
precise objective might have benefited from a more concise conclusion.
In
addition to using a variety of methods to showcase its message (the stage, a
screen, and the ceiling), this piece implements further performance techniques
through dance and audience participation. For instance, Dr. Amalia dances after
she speaks of a star dying. Her dancing is melancholic, as if she is in
mourning. And Ana dances cheerfully in the forest in order to create a sharper
contrast between the ‘before’ and ‘after’ versions of herself. Further—in terms
of audience participation—the audience is asked to participate using the
flashlight app on their phones. When
everyone holds up their phone, the audience is shown on the screen in the front
of the room. The phones look like a small collection of stars. This makes the
audience feel more connected to the piece; perhaps we ourselves are stars. Ultimately,
these techniques are my favorite aspect of the piece. They enrich the
performance itself, whether it be by adding variety (through multiple locations
for the viewer to look), enhancing the emotions displaying in the performance (through
dance), or making the audience feel like the piece applies to them (using audience
participation). In conclusion, Yara Travieso exercises innovation in presenting
this sublime, multi-layered performance at the Empac auditorium.
Sources
1. http://empac.rpi.edu/events/2018/fall/10years/sagittarius
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