Led by Matteo Frau and Mina Trapp, Frau Trapp brings their show Five Lines to this year’s MimeLondon festival in its UK Premiere. The work brings together miniature models, music, acting and audio-visual mediums to create a micro cinema-theatre that explores human nature through the lens of one couple’s relationship in a dystopian world shaped by today’s extreme greed.
Ahead of opening, we caught up with Matteo and Mina to find out more about taking the show to London.
Q&A with Matteo Frau & Mina Trapp:
What can you tell us about Five Lines?
Matteo: Five Lines was born from the desire to use the language of Micro Cinema Theater. In 2016, I discovered this technique through the performance Kiss and Cry by the Belgian company Astragales. I was so impressed that I took a course with the legendary Gavin Glover, where I met Mina. In the years that followed, we began experimenting with a mixer and analogue cameras, but it was only in 2021 that we truly began the production of Five Lines, initially as a self-production and later with the financial support of various Swiss foundations.
How do you approach developing a show like this and what was the starting point for Five Lines?
Mina: A creation like Five Lines primarily involves two levels of development: one artistic/creative and one technical. From a technical standpoint, we had to research all aspects of cinema (cameras, camera movements, screen retransmission, editing, lighting, etc.). During the research phase, we received support from Agrupacion Señor Serrano from Barcelona, one of our reference companies. With the addition of Ariel F. Verba and Sebi Escarpenter, our two cameramen, we reached the cinematic quality levels we had set for ourselves. It was a fascinating and absolutely unique process, a true masterclass in audiovisuals.
Artistically, I focused on the miniatures, creating them based on the language of object theatre and centring on a realistic imagery in most of the sets. From a musical perspective, Matteo had to compose a soundtrack for a live film. This was extremely demanding because it required a different approach to classical composition, allowing much more space for the unexpected in the construction of the musical form. Finally, the dramaturgical writing began with Endgame by Samuel Beckett. We wondered what the story of Nagg and Nell, Hamm’s parents, might be. The COVID-19 health crisis we were experiencing gave depth to these characters and the world they live in. The writing process with our director, Natalia Barraza, was long and in-depth, leading us to the first script, which we then began staging.
How much has your original vision for the show changed as you developed the show?
Matteo: The performance evolved significantly from the script phase to its final version. It was the first time we created a show using the language of Micro Cinema Theater. We had to discover, during the staging process, how to approach this new theatrical device. First, we had to decide how to use the voice off that tells the story. The descriptiveness of the original text was not necessary, as much of the scenes could simply be visually shown to the audience. Additionally, we had to eliminate characters, scenes, and subplots in order to get to the essence of what we wanted to narrate: a love story in a dystopian world, between two people who, for personal reasons, begin to drift apart until the distance between them becomes too great to be bridged.
How technically challenging is it to present a show that blends mediums in the way that Five Lines does?
Mina: Five Lines is extremely demanding from a technical standpoint because it encapsulates the technical challenges of manipulation, live image recording and live editing. The margin for error is minimal. This makes Five Lines like a mechanism, like a dance in which each of us plays multiple roles and which leaves no room for distraction in order to be performed perfectly. Over the course of the performances, the technical challenges became an integral part of the onstage game. One thing we realized is that the scenic device is so captivating for the audience that the error is not perceived as such, but rather highlights the live aspect of the performance. For our next production, we are using the experience of Five Lines to further put the technique at the service of the scene.
Is there anything you hope audiences take away from the show?
Matteo: Our goal is for the audience to simply start asking themselves questions. How can I build a fairer world, and how do I define this concept? How do my personal choices impact the world around me, and how do the micro and macro, personal and global goals, intersect? With Five Lines, we simply want to provide the audience with elements of reflection about the world we live in, both as individuals and as members of society.
How does it feel to be bringing Five Lines to MimeLondon 2025 and the Barbican Theatre?
Mina: I would like to sincerely thank MimeLondon for giving us the opportunity to be part of this edition. We are thrilled to share our work at such a prestigious event. Thank you for the trust and the incredible support we have received from the entire team. A week at the Barbican is a dream come true.
Fru Trapp’s Five Lines is at The Pit at the Barbican, London from 28 January to 1 February 2025
