Adi Lerer

A modern adaptation of the Greek tragedy set in an unknown refugee camp where detainees were separated by their gender.

Audience entered the space through a gallery on the upper level of the studio theatre. Photos depicting lives of the refugees before they went into exile were displayed.  Audience then descended to find themselves walking between the male and female camps.  They sat in between the two camps, watching the drama unfold around them.

The scenography contributed to the theatrical tension by introducing proximity between the audience and the performers. A concrete floor was poured in-situ filling the performance area in the middle, surrounded by floor to ceiling metal fencing, creating realism through materiality, sound, texture, and dust.

On the Cusp was a solo performance conceived, written and performed by Adi Lerer. 

It is a fantastical journey of the performer discovering how she perceives the one she is in conflict with. As an Israeli and a new British citizen, the show reveals aspects of her background and current state. It explores her persistent longing and need to meet her female counterpart, and what she represents; investigating personal and collective fears and hopes. 

The design started with a simple scenographic idea: an object that could be manipulated by the performer throughout the performance to respond to the narrative. The design process and the performance evolved in parallel, with the ‘object’ playing an active role in shaping the story, the character, and the physical performance. The final design was a structure made of double layered fabric, crinoline and spandex netting, suspended on a pulley system with four ropes, which suggested at different times a basket of oranges, a boat, a dress, a shelter, as well as more emotional and psychological aspects of the piece.