THE LANGUAGE OF TODAY

 “I can’t sleep. Only dreams, no sleep.”
 Franz Kafka, 21 July 1913

Teenagers in a sports team try to find their own voice, their own identity, to embrace their fears and their weaknesses. They are young people forced to grow up prematurely to defend their existence, their dreams sometimes silent and sometimes articulated, but always surprising. They are limited and defined by an entire system of control. But what would happen if that system were to listen to them? Would it collapse or reinvent itself, establishing new norms and goals? What would life be like the day after?

The arrival of a new member to the team creates fragile new balances, upsetting those that already exist, while at the same time exposing the cracks in the characters and their relationships. Meanwhile, their coach tries to lead them to the very top – often at any cost. Will he succeed? Will they all succeed together, as a whole?

The characters – apart from the coach – are not just athletes, though; they are also adolescents. Their minds are restless and tireless, incessantly inquisitive and questioning even what is self-evident, challenging everything that happens, even when it takes place right before their eyes. For teenagers, nothing can be taken for granted and anything can go into freefall at any moment. The pivotal period that is adolescence, despite its mishaps, is nonetheless a great gift: a second chance before the harsh realities of adult life set in. To grab life by the hair and explore every kind of limit to the fullest!

You have five minutes is about this exploration, about the dreams within us and the dreams that others have for us, which we unwittingly adopt, about our fears, and even our nightmares. It talks about that moment of the day or night when we dare to take control and start learning life anew. It is a moment of absolute freedom for each of us.

*The production takes its inspiration from the (sleeping and waking) dreams of young NTG workshop participants who generously shared them with the writer.

*Both during rehearsals and performances, the director, cast and crew will be in close contact and in open dialogue with the NTG workshop accompanying the entire process. The common goal of the performance and the workshop is interaction prompted by sleeping and waking dreams, as well as the language of dreams in general.