Solo Performance - Kafka Cola

Kafka Cola

Thirteen years ago, my first solo performance was "Secret Sharer", a show based on the story by Joseph Conrad. As part of the Cambridge Festival of Ideas, I brought the show to life. I still remember the thrill of tackling such a demanding project: a one-man show!

Since then, I've been involved in numerous stage productions across the UK and Thailand, each one broadening my understanding of humanity, relationships, skills, and techniques.

Last year was a challenging period for me as a performer. My final play, "Game, Set, and Match", concluded in February, and due to other commitments, opportunities to perform were scarce. Then I was thinking, "Why not give it another shot? Why not create another solo performance that I can continually refine and develop over time? I could limit the props, making it easily portable."

I shared this concept with my friend and theatre director, Yamine Boudemagh (Ekkolo Theatre, Bangkok, Thailand), and we immediately began collaborating. He assisted me in selecting a collection of texts from authors like Dino Buzzati, Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Lou Reed, and Alexis Michalik.

The process proved far more demanding than we anticipated. It required immense dedication and energy. My ambition to develop multiple characters and their interactions required new skills and training. I express my sincere gratitude to Hacid Bouabaya (Compagnie Joker, Lille, France) for his extensive knowledge of mask work, character building, and infectious energy. My thanks also extend to Quentin Delorme (Ath Theatre, Hanoi, Vietnam) for his impressive directing skills, rigorous acting training, and pre-show preparation techniques that helped me refine my character execution and stage presence.

The show's narratives focus upon the fantastical and the strange, infused with humour, irony, and menace. They illuminate the nightmarish aspects of our ordinary lives. Multiple surreal, unsettling tales delve into the struggles beneath everyday interactions, the sometimes perverse workings of human emotions and desires, and, with wit and pathos, describe the small steps we take as individuals and as a society in our march toward catastrophe.

With hints of Albert Camus, Franz Kafka, Alexis Michalik, and Lou Reed, Dino Buzzati's short stories remain relevant even today.