Fredric Jameson once observed that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism. "Remedies Against Panic" is an interactive theater piece that dares to imagine a future beyond capitalism through participation and co-creation. Written and performed by Anne Marina Fidler, the piece is a shared experience based upon risk-taking, and catharsis.

Through an interactive narrative told with karaoke and 1980s pop music, the theater space is transformed into a platform for confronting the challenges of our precarious times by expropriating the fear and anxiety of participation. Through her research on polyvagal practices and their use in performance, Anne provides many entry points for audience engagement, understanding that participation can take many forms and can sometimes be as simple as sitting and watching.

She uses the vulnerability and failure inherent to karaoke to expand the audience’s ability to deal with stress, while using polyvagal techniques that allow her audience to remain open to connection. Ultimately this offers participants the tools they need to move through the pain and uncertainty of systemic change and become active in imagining new possibilities for our future.

Language: English

Credits:
Concept, Direction and Performance: Anne Marina Fidler
Technical direction and performance: Bryan Schall
Dramaturgical Support: Sarah Thom
Co-production of PS Communitism and Home of Performance Practices.