This story intertwines the stories of many people. Some are sad, others funny. Some speak of madness, of sex, others are ordinary. Yet all these stories leave an impression of mystery. The mystery of life. Sometimes the mystery of death. The mystery of the woods. The woods that surround the house of all these stories.

To present this story, we would simply say that it has a universal character. However, the character who leads to all the other stories is called Max. Max is the key. Around her, you will discover the people who share her life. If we could, would we even dare to tell these characters what awaits them? To warn them of the sorrow, of the collapse that lies ahead? No! That is precisely the point! So, as every summer, they gather at Barry’s (me) and Eden’s house. They eat, they drink, they laugh, it’s all good!

It is a simple and joyful image of life. But that evening, they will all be subjected to temptation. They may or may not give in. It will depend on their ability to recognize it beneath its disguise. Sometimes it will appear in the form of a flame thought extinguished that comes back to life. In the shape of a friend who could end up becoming much more than a friend. Or in the face of a stranger who awakens unsuspected feelings within them. And so, they may give in to temptation, fully aware that by morning they will have to face the consequences.
– Alexandre Doublet

Together, we freed ourselves from the original characters of Chekhov’s Platonov. We rewrote it out of our own sensitivities, our rhythms, our bodies, and our voices.

I played the role of Barry, which was an adaptation of the iconic character Anna Petrovna (one of the central roles of the play alongside Max – Platonov himself). The show was performed among the audience in an open hall, where spectators were completely free to move around and experience the performance as they wished. The play lasted over two hours without an intermission—if the audience wanted to take a break, they were free to order at the bar or go to the restroom during the performance. The actors moved and performed even in the middle of the audience’s tables, and sometimes on the tables themselves.