Bi-polar is a visual work inspired by "Notes of a Madman" by Gogol, the story of a gray clerk, who falls in love with his manager's daughter, a love that turns into an obsession and ignites the bipolar mental illness hidden within him. The work deals with the influence of the modern world on the human soul and the increasingly blurred border between sanity and insanity.

Inspired by Gogol's classic story, the mental illness that develops on its symptoms is depicted on stage through the eyes of the person experiencing it. All this is done without words through movement, video art, music and lighting in the unique stage language of the 'Ayit' Ensemble.

About the play:

Who doesn't feel like they're going crazy at some point? Who among us has not once felt that the mad world we live in is driving him crazy?

Gogol's "Notes of a Madman" is among the first texts in literature that deal with mental illness from the patient's point of view. Although written at the end of the 19th century, it presents Gogol's absurd, Kafkaesque and cruel world reflects our chaotic and stressful reality today. A reality that pushes man to the edge. We chose to tell a story without text, out of the feeling that the words have worn out, lost their meaning. We were looking for a pure, true, primary expression, from which to start and build a new stage language, one that would convey the full complexity and depth inherent in the shaking of a person's soul.

Duration of the show: 55 minutes

Directed by: Yoav Michaeli

Set design: Avi Sechvi

Lighting design: Uri Morag

Musical editing and original music: Amir Gruman

Costume design: Ahuvah Erez

Video-Art: Eli Levy

Photography: Sally Petel

Awards:

Winner of the Golden Hedgehog Award - May 2015

Winner of the judges' favorite award at the PREMIO INTERNAZIONALE competition in Milan - Italy

Winner of a gold medal for directing at the IETF Festival - Hanoi - Vietnam

Winner of a gold medal for lighting at the IETF festival - Hanoi - Vietnam

Gold medal winner for lead actor at the IETF festival - Hanoi - Vietnam

Winner of a gold medal for supporting actress at the IETF Festival - Hanoi - Vietnam

The show participated in festivals around the world: "ZooFest" Montreal, "A-Part" Poland, "Valult" Great Britain, "Gift" Tbilisi and more...