A plastic state of mind

The creators and the all female cast
American actress and playwright Danai Gurira is known to the general public from The Walking Dead and from the Marvel film Black Panther. Gavin-Viano - in his relentless search for urgent stories centered on women - stumbled upon her play ECLIPSED (2009). In 2016, ECLIPSED began a second life on Broadway, where it garnered five Tony nominations. 



Now - nearly a decade later - Gavin-Viano at Het Nationale Theater brings this story to the Netherlands and casts Kimberley Agyarko (Silver Cricket 2025 for A Country Inside My Head by HNTjong), Nyassa Alberta (Tina in Tina Turner the musical, as of '26 the Killer Queen in the Queen musical We Will Rock You), Shanaya Dap(Black Girl Magic, Sihane, Trojan Wars by HNTjong), Femi van Elshuis (ITA, Raymi Sambo Makes) and international working actress Alix Konadu as the admirable young women who are the soul of the play.

Gavin-Viano directs the play, which he has also translated. In a blistering soundscape (Jan Baars and Donna Lugassy), with an eclectic lighting design (Wes Broersen) and in a set made of garbage (Wael Qadriyeh), which symbolizes the disastrous influence that the West has had on Liberia since the second half of the 19th century, you enter a new universe. A world where nationality, nationality, ethnicity and language can be transcended and a universal message resonates.

Gavin-Viano joined HNTjong's permanent directing team in 2024, where he made Arm with expensive taste. He is a multi-talent; in addition to being a director, he is also an international performer and has past event published as a writer. In 2023 he was nominated for the BNG Bank Theater Prize for Bloodscent.

Trigger warning
The story of A plastic state of mind takes af in a war situation. The performance involves (sexual) violence and the use of (fake) weapons. The violence is discussed but not shown (at length).
The National Theatre recommends a minimum age of 16.