A high price for love
It’s about love, identity, and what we’re willing to do for one another, as art student Evelyn and the uncool, love-struck museum guard Adam develop a relationship in *The State of Things*
I hope the audience will be left wondering what is real and how much falsehood there is in our lives
says Ryall Burden, set designer for *The State of Things*.
American director Neil LaBute first presented “The Shape of Things” in London in 2001, and the play was later adapted into a film. On September 28, Kilden will Kilden the production, which is just as relevant today and raises painful questions about how far one is willing to go for love. Or for art. And what one is willing to sacrifice to get what one wants.
In the show, we follow the dedicated
art student Evelyn and art museum guard Adam, his best friend Phillip, and his girlfriend Jenny, and join them on a journey through Adam’s transformation from a nerdy, chubby guy into a trendy, sexy hunk.
“It’s an exceptionally well-crafted piece with a powerful and complex story, set in an exciting and contemporary world. Evelyn gains such a strong hold over Adam—who is blinded by his emotions—that she convinces him to change both his appearance and his behavior for her sake,” explains Burden.
Morality and Art
"The State of Things" explores the relationship between morality and art, and beneath the surface lies a brutality and darkness that are not what one might expect.
– Gianluca Iumiento at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts is the director, and both he and we at Kilden be taking a rather unconventional approach to what is typically considered theater.
It will be an exploration of different forms—such as art installations, museums, and traditional theater—wrapped up in an intense encounter with the audience.
“The combination of the original American script—adapted by Gianluca and produced locally at Kilden our own actors—makes for a unique and exciting collaboration,” the set designer continues.
The Path to the Right Expression
For Jessica Romberg, costume designer for *
*
*The State of Things*, this is an exciting and challenging project. “I work closely with Gianluca to ensure the characters align with his vision, and we often have to go through many rounds of revisions,” she reveals.
Several collages are often created to determine the characters’ expressions, and once the right expression is established, the costumes themselves are designed. To ensure that Adam maintains the right expression throughout his transformation, Jessica has sought advice from young people who can relate to him.
Seeking advice from young people
– What I see through my 50-year-old eyes isn’t relevant. That’s why I’ve conducted in-depth interviews with young people to find the right way to portray Adam, so that they can relate to the character.
Evelyn’s character, on the other hand, is consistently trendy in the Berlin and Copenhagen styles. She is fashion-conscious, but pretends otherwise. – Evelyn is completely in control, and th
is visually expressed in the play. She knows the
trendiest brands and wears them in combination with vintage, but as an art student, she likes
to appear as if it’s all more random.
Jessica goes on to explain that it takes a lot of effort to get the characters and costumes just right in order to create a complete experience.
“Not everyone probably realizes how much work goes into choosing costumes, but they have to work perfectly and help bring the characters to life. Only then will the audience feel that everything just clicks,” concludes Jessica Romberg.
Comment from the theater director
The State of Things is a story about love, honesty, art, beauty, and deception. We want to be seen, and we want to be loved. How far are we willing to go to achieve just that?
In *The State of Things*, Neil LaBute brings together the Bible’s creation story and Oscar Wilde’s *The Picture of Dorian Gray*. If you have a fresh memory of those two stories, you’ll enjoy the references to them, but*The State of Things* can just as easily be experienced as a raw, honest portrayal of just how tough it is to be young in an age of beauty hysteria.
Tickets are sold with a surprise guarantee.
Birgit Amalie Nilssen
The State of Things ppremieres on September 28 and runs through October 20.
By Neil LaBute
Directed by: Gianluca Iumiento
Dramaturg: Endre Sannes Hadland
Set design: Ryall Burden
Costume design: Jessica Romberg
Lighting design: Markus Fadum
Sound Design: Eirik Mordal
Text by Kari Byklum
Photo bySimon Nielsen[ult_buttons btn_title="Read more about The State of Things" btn_link="url:https%3A%2F%2Fkilden2020.wpengine.com%2Fforestilling%2Ftingenes-tilstand%2F||target:%20_blank|» btn_title_color=»#ffffff» btn_bg_color=»#7a3434″ btn_bg_color_hover="#5e5e5e" btn_title_color_hover="#ffffff" btn_icon_pos="ubtn-sep-icon-at-left" notification=""