Saturated by media narratives and info pollution, the question arises as to whether we can even discover a person anymore: someone is someone’s lover, but shouldn’t be; maybe a timber businessman and a young conservationist, but the passion is stronger; somewhere there are terrorists, the destruction is visible on a department store security camera: body parts twirl in the air wearing footwear and clothing; someone has committed suicide, but was always cheerful, a cliché, an artist who finally blurred the line between one’s life and one’s art; a porn star who has chosen his/her path voluntarily, work that has its advantages – retirement at twenty; war destroys a community, seemingly eco-friendly and unique, maybe on the UNESCO list, collateral damage – everyone meets in the news, but who is actually speaking? Is Anne speaking or was it written by a public relations agency?
Martin Crimp (1956) is one of the most prominent contemporary British playwrights. He is valued as a social critic who writes with cutting-edge honest about 21st century topics, such as the consumer society, emotional loneliness, the manipulative media, the role of women in the changing family and society etc. The language of his plays is rich and playful, and the form is modernistically kaleidoscopic. In 17 scenes, Attempts on Her Life foresees the atomisation of people in a world where reality is mediated by stories.