SKIN IN FLAMES
Guillem Clua (trans. DJ Sanders)
show details
Cast Size: 4 (2M, 2W)
Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes without an intermission.
Premiered June 29, 2005 at the Villarroel Theatre in Barcelona, Spain.
Winner of the City of Alcoi Theatre Prize, 2004
synopsis
Frederick Salomon, a photojournalist famed for capturing an image of a girl sent flying through the air from a bomb explosion, returns to the country where twenty years earlier he captured that infamous photograph. Arriving to receive an award, many credit his photograph for the country’s recent peace efforts; however, a local journalist, Hannah, interprets his image differently. As Hannah interviews Frederick Salomon, they debate and question the United Nations’ role in assisting third-world nations, the mass marketing of images of violence, but most importantly what really happened on that fateful day.
Meanwhile, in the same theatrical space, another couple’s story unfolds; however, each couple remains unaware of the other’s presence. Dr. Brown is making a routine visit with a local woman, Ida, whose daughter is in a comma at a local hospital. Ida trades sexual favors for the medical treatment that may save her daughter and provide the chance to see her little Sara transferred to a hospital in America.
Two contrasting scenes of deceit and desperation slowly shape the plot as the audience pieces together the fragments left behind by the war. Who was the girl in the photo? How did that image change her life, her country, and the world? And what is the eventual fallout from each character’s choices?
SKIN IN FLAMES takes the audience on an emotional and intellectual journey challenging them to consider and question the fine line dividing those in power and those in need of assistance. With the expertly crafted dramatic structure and story elements found in every country’s newspaper headlines, Guillem Clua’s award-winning script melds the best of content and form into a hauntingly unforgettable theatrical experience.
quotes & reviews
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