Dopamine tells the story of a man who is swallowed up by the digital world and ends up in an obscure nightmare where the boundaries between dream and reality begin to blur. A place where gravity does not exist and objects take on a life of their own. Impressive illusions bring the young man's schizophrenia to life, drawing the audience into a world of addiction, loneliness, and the endless search for connection, desire, and love. The audience is greeted by a mysterious Madonna-like figure, reminiscent of a character from a Tim Burton film. She holds open a gate made of midnight-blue satin and invites the audience to enter her world.
There, the audience sees a faceless figure sitting at a table. On the table lie a lifeless face and a smoking cigarette. Slowly, the figure comes to life and puts his face back on. The audience watches the performance up close, almost voyeuristically. For once, the spectator becomes the proverbial fly on the wall. It is the beginning of a visual trip that paints a picture of the many anonymous lives lived behind closed doors.
This new theatrical production by Tim Oelbrandt is a blend of illusionism and visual theatre. An immersive event, a theatrical installation, a sensory experience created for the stage or for large darkened spaces. *Dopamine* is performed by Dries Notelteirs and Tim Oelbrandt. The visual design draws heavily on art history, featuring references ranging from interpretations of Madonna figures and a Pietà to a staging of the famous painting *The Nightmare* by Johann Heinrich Füssli. Familiar images from art history are combined with the alienation of contemporary society.