Bear with me
27 11 2025
The performance Bear with me is about the creative process of working on a performance centered on polar bears. The title semantically plays on the largest terrestrial predator and marine mammal, but also on the imperative to the audience to be patient with the author, who attempts to transform herself into a polar bear during the performance. The performance takes the form of a performance-lecture that merges the artistic and the academic, aiming for knowledge transfer within the artistic execution. The idea is to use the performance lecture format to unfold the process of working on a piece focused on the theme of the performing animal. A crucial aspect of the work is the notion of creative discomfort and the discomfort arising from the body itself. For this reason, the author attempts to embody a different body that is distinct from her own. Creative discomfort also stems from the constant threat to which we are exposed in any kind of artistic creation, as artists today perpetually navigate the boundary between the original and reproduction, and even plagiarism. Furthermore, creative discomfort arises from the constant threat of whether the performance will be declared successful or unsuccessful. Will it ultimately succeed?
a: Irena Boćkai
Irena Boćkai is an author and performance artist in theatrical plays and performances, and a leader of drama and film workshops for children and youth. She earned her Master’s degree in non-verbal theater from the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek and completed her PhD in Literature, Performing Arts, Film, and Culture at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. Her plays have been featured in New York, Israel, Morocco, and throughout Europe. She is a member of the Croatian Society of Drama Artists (HDDU). She is the founder of the performance collective Trećeprostor.