Ragnar Uustal
STAND, AND UNFOLD YOURSELF

Director and Performer RAGNAR UUSTAL (EST)
Dramaturg JARMO REHA (EST)
Scenographer LIISA MARIA LAI (Estonian Academy of Arts)
Sound Designer MARKUS ROBAM (EST)
Lighting Designer ALEKSANDR MIRSON (EST, FLEX)

Premiere on 3 June 2021 in EAMT Blackbox (Tallinn)

“Stand, and Unfold Yourself” is a performance that takes William Shakespeare’s well-known Hamlet line “To be or not to be – that is the question” and investigates it on a personal level, through a physical journey. What comes out of it is resolved by an artistic process, the sweat and a manic, personal, repetitive counter utterance: “What is my body – that is the question”.

Inevitably, my life consists of small things, every day.
What is my body?
I drink coffee and, every time, I shun the sugar.
What is my body?
I refuel my car, every time at the same gas station.
What is my body?
I count every cent, I bring my spending down.
What is my body?
I linger for the next  “Black Friday”  to buy me boots.
What is my body?
I store information – how much have I spent on my teeth?
What is my body?
I give flowers. I always buy one rose. That’s enough.
What is my body?
I know I spend most of my money on alcohol and cigarettes.
What is my body?

The body stands. This body stands still on a large empty stage. It moves. It sweats. It drains everything. My manic lists. Manic tables. Manic documentions. Manic written lines. My manic Hamlet and a body … that seeks an alternative explanation for all there is.