THE PLAY

Trans, presented in Cyprus under the title Charlie Foxtrot, is a play that takes on the theme of how social conflict shapes language, and in that way our perception of reality. Words can be politically charged, their meaning ever-changing. How to communicate when we can't trust ourselves to say exactly what we mean?

A makeshift office with broken furniture, an old bed, clothes hanging. A square of dirt and rubble, in the middle of the stage. Musicians standing on the frame that surrounds the square.

Two translators and a prostitute are brought together in a time of conflict to translate a mysterious text. With three days remaining to the deadline, personal fears and obsessions overtake the underlying social tension, creating an environment where what would be collaborative work takes the shape of continuous warfare and attrition.

Strangers reunited for what seems to be an arbitrary common goal. A nation of foreigners.

Trans is a key element of the World Theater project, in the way it demands direct involvement with the local community. Simao Valente wrote it - with music by Sebastian Plano - having in mind a speedy rehearsal process and the contingencies of a low-budget, long-distance production. It was prepared during three weeks and staged on the night of the 24th of August at the University of Nicosia, with actors Yoryis Regginos and Charis Charalambous, members of the Rooftop Theatre Group.