Drama On One: Alejandro Niklison's new play Wine from Greenland explores the meaning of society and identity in the search for absolute freedom - listen to it above.
As Anton and Ian wait to be seated at a restaurant by the almost robotic Rose, a seemingly ordinary conversation leads them to a mutual realization about life and society: man is a caged animal, chained to social conventions, roles and relationships. But beyond married life, affairs, jobs and obligations lies a land where one can start over and rediscover themselves. Will they find freedom or will they fail in their quest?
Exploring the topic of individuals struggling to find their self in modern society, Wine from Greenland invites listeners to think honestly about themselves and their relationships. We define ourselves in relation to society, professional and personal bonds, obligations and rights. But what is left when an individual is stripped away from all their connections? If you "peel away" society, can you start over and at what price? Perhaps freedom is an end in itself, but it can also be used as a pretext to escape from changes in one's own life. Wine from Greenland asks questions about the meaning of relationships, the meaning of freedom, and whether absolute freedom is attainable or futile to pursue.
Alejandro Niklison is a native of Argentina - his stories exist in a surreal world, with influences from magical realism and absurdism. His characters live in worlds plagued by violence and perverse irony, where Niklison ponders the uncertainties of the human condition and of literature.
and Charlie Bonner, author Alejandro Niklison and actor Donna Anita Nikolaisen
Author Alejandro Niklison writes: "I first developed my literary career in Tucumán, Argentina, where I grew up, and then in Berlin, where I lived for over a decade. In Berlin, I found my voice as a writer, writing El Peso de una Pluma de Avestruz and El Hombre Artificial, two books of short stories in Spanish, both published with Franz Ediciones. I was also part of the independent theatre scene in English, writing for the stage and performing with various theatre groups and at festivals. In Berlin is where I first presented Wine from Greenland as a one-act stage play.
I recently moved to Dublin. Here, I continued my theatrical career, presenting new works and venturing into new formats such as digital theatre with Boxes, a play carried out entirely on Zoom, and radio theatre.
I find radio theatre a fascinating medium, because of the freedom of possibilities that it gives to the writer, by not being limited by location or props, as the stage productions. It was an amazing experience to have Wine from Greenland produced by RTE, and to have been lucky enough to have such a brilliant cast as Donna, Charlie and Frankie, directed by the fantastic Gorretti Slavin. The cast really got into the character and I found myself laughing out loud with some of the lines, as if I was hearing the play for the first time."
Drama on One: Wine From Greenland, RTÉ Radio 1, Sunday 11th September at 8.02 pm - listen to more from Drama On One here.
