The storyline follows the inner struggle of a woman who is forced to accept her fate. The character, Maria, represents the three biblical Marys blended in one, outside of a biblical context, revealing the Human Being behind the Saint.
The performance last 40 minutes and is designed for unusual performance places, like old churches, museums, gothic style rooms or even simple studios. The audience, no more then 25 people, is accommodated in a semicircle on the edge of the performance space.
Performed by Selma Treviño and directed by Selma and William Treviño, MIRRORS has been performed since the year 2000 in California, New York, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Creative Process
Over the course of four years, before I started the montage for the performance Mirrors, I had created several physical compositions as a form of movement research. None of these compositions began with a fixed idea or a dramaturgical text, but rather they followed a different set of “rules.” Starting from a neutral point of body and mind, I created a sequence of movements with the inspiration of an outside source, such as an object, a series of statues, or the images produced by a philosophical text. Each sequence incorporated the dramatic principles present in corporeal mime: plane and level changes, oppositions, fixed points, precarious balance, dynamic immobility, and torsions. Next, I added dynamics, such as weight and speed, to the score. After that work was completed, the compositions could be elaborated with music, spoken text, or a scene partner when appropriate.To create Mirrors, I had to sew the separate compositions together to form one piece. When I had enough corporeal material to do this, I chose a theme and investigated the works of writers, painters, and sculptors who explored similar themes. Then I went back to the studio and started to combine movement with text and song to create the images that my theme had inspired in me. Before then, I had never imposed a theme on my physical compositions, nor had I had any idea of what texts or songs would be applied to them. As I was constructing my piece, I invited a co-director to be my “third eye.” His directorial advice on general and specific problems kept my work precise and clear. Finally, I considered costume and lighting.
