Frigid Festival Previews

Oens

Author: Wilson Loria

From the Age of Discovery to the effects of today's globalization, Oens portrays a disquieting ordinary man and his journey to self-realization. Bringing and mixing the past and the present together, Oens shows that "globalization" is not a recently coined word in today's vocabulary. The Portuguese suffix Ões, (the corresponding and loosely translated word in English would be "Oens") from which the title of the play is derived, is used for making nouns into the plural and the augmentative forms. Most important, it is part of the name of the 16th century Portuguese poet Luiz Vaz de Camões (Camoens in English) who wrote the most famous epic poem in the Portuguese language, The Lusiads, which describes Vasco da Gama's voyage via southern Africa to India in 1497-1498. Through music, mime and dance, Oens also enacts the eternal wish for a better world.

Oens attempts to call people's attention to some current and relevant social questions. We've unfortunately grown accustomed to being and living only in our own small "worlds." We should never let our guard down just because we have a new president elected by the majority. We must always keep questioning the establishment and, above all, our own role in today's society.

Oens causes people to think of their place both in society and life. It also attempts to show that we should not value all that paraphernalia we see on stage today. That has definitely never been the primary goal of the theater. The main element of any performance should undoubtedly be the actor on the apron of the stage. (Photo credit: Carlos Guerriero)

Wilson Loria, writer/performer