OBLIVIOUS

Oblivious is a radical revelation of the forces that shape us into who we are.
But what if you yourself also participate in the script that is keeping you captive?

In House of circus’ new performance, Hayden and Iconnee find themselves in a psychologically charged arena.
They navigate They seduce, shine and play their roles with precision. With circus, drag & humour, a mindgame unfolds in which nothing is what it seems.

On a stage shaped by social codes, every crack in the mask becomes visible. The audience is watching. Or is there more to it?
With the use of costumes, scenography and confrontations, HoC shows how identity is not simply a choice from a clothes rack, but an
ongoing negotiation to be claimed with a self-written script.

We are influenced and manipulated on a daily basis, often without even realising it.
The endless social media feed, news framing, billboards and pop-ups constantly push us in a certain direction. From a young age, we are conditioned: rewarded when we behave “appropriately” and met with disapproval when we don’t. But identity is not a choice from a clothes rack. The dominant social norm doesn’t fit us.
Being queer means breaking with the cis norm and dismantling imposed identities and gender roles. After all, the norm is a social construct that benefits only a small group. In this performance, Hayden and Iconnee take off their masks, and House of Circus makes it clear that the norm is a construct. Oblivious is at once a theatrical psychological experiment and a humorous call to take destiny into our own hands.

Social codes also apply on Hayden and Iconnee’s stage. The drag artists move with flair, presenting a vibrant palette of circus arts and clowning.
They seduce and provoke, balancing between play and conflict while manipulating public opinion.
The performance offers plenty of room for beauty and poetry: breathtaking circus acts alternate with moving drag performances.
Their play comes alife in a well-thought-out aesthetic in which make-up, costumes, scenography and drag seamlessly merge.
Through psychological manipulation and unexpected confrontations, the performers hold up a mirror to each other and to the audience.
Layer by layer, the social construct is peeled back. Particular attention is paid to what causes friction: the clumsiness, the painful self-awareness, the trial and error that every search for the self entails.

House of Circus thus approaches difficult themes of identity and becoming with humor and lightness, inviting the audience to reflect on the question: Who are you? With Oblivious, House of Circus shows that identity is not a choice from a clothes rack, but an ongoing negotiation you can claim with a self-written script.

CREDITS

CREATION & PERFORMANCE : Nick van der Heyden • Germain Charlat
DRAMATURGICAL ADVICE : Loulou Sjerps
PRODUCER : TENT House for contemporary circus
CO-PRODUCER : De Landing/Schouwburg Amstelveen
SUPPORTED BY : Performing Arts Fund NL