Everything in “Terrorism” becomes the order of the day, even if in a tragic farcical tone: the threat of a bomb on an airplane, the ethnic conflict, the sadism of soldiers, suicide, etc.

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The world out there is just apocalypses, but the stitching of this text from the new Russian dramaturgy, the first production of which premieres today at Viga Espaço Cênio, is made up of what goes through the consciousness of characters on the verge of explosion.

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It was in 2000, before the current terrorist wave in that federation (the theater in Moscow, the school in Beslan), even before 9/11, that the brothers Oleg and Vladimir Presnyakov, born in the Siberian region, committed to paper the chain of (self)destruction on the march, it's not happening now.

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“In our opinion, in the 90s, a new type of consciousness was clearly formed, for which the reference point of value is no longer creation, but destruction,” says Oleg, a university professor of Russian literature. He and Vladimir, a professor of psychology and pedagogy, both in their 30s, responded by email to questions mediated by the play's director, Cristina Cavalcanti, and translator Klara Gouriánova, a Russian naturalized Brazilian.

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“Terrorism” contains six scenes, fragments that suggest a puzzle. The passenger tries to board, but the airport is closed due to suspicious bags. Meanwhile, at his house, the woman plays a fetish game with her lover, tied to the bed. In an office, an employee hangs herself in the psychologist's office. In a barracks, anti-terrorist soldiers laugh at photos taken of bomb victims.

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In a square, two old ladies complain about “ethnic fashion”, until a guy with suitcases approaches. Finally, the passenger from the first scene reappears sitting on a plane. Difficulty buckling the belt.
With such a synopsis, the play, which has already been staged by the Moscow Art Theater and the Royal Court in London, could take off for Manichaeism, but it avoids blame.

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“It’s a play about a society contaminated by fear and which ends up acting against itself. The simple idea that terror could happen is corrosive and causes irreparable damage”, says director Cavalcanti, 35, who is making her debut in the profession.

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The emphasis is on body expression and the actor's relationship with the space (the scenography is limited to just six mutant chairs). The transition of scenes is made clearly, assuming the costumes that are repeated and relying on the movement of light.

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by Valmir Santos, for Folha de São Paulo