Necessary Targets: performance conventions

Narrative Structure in Necessary Targets

Necessary Targets employs a non-linear narrative that enhances the exploration of individual pasts and psychological depths.
The disjointed nature of the narrative reflects the characters’ fragmented memories marked by traumas, and real time events in the refugee camp.
Throughout, symbolic actions and individual stories often take precedence over forward-moving action.
This structure allows characters to reveal details about their pasts and emotional worlds at their own pace, reflecting the therapeutic process.

Use of Monologues in Necessary Targets

Characters in Necessary Targets often express their deepest thoughts and feelings through monologues.
These monologues serve as a key performance convention, offering in-depth explorations of a character’s psyche, experiences, and emotional states.
Monologues also act as therapeutic revelations, as the women disclose their trauma and begin their journey of healing.
The use of direct address to the audience during monologues aimes to build empathy and understanding.

Representation of Trauma in Performance

Trauma in Necessary Targets is portrayed through vivid narratives, strong emotions, physical symbolism, and flashbacks.
Flashbacks and sudden emotional outbursts allow the audience to gain a sense of the characters’ inner torment.
Physical manifestations of trauma, such as Nuna’s drawing or Jelena’s aggression, reinforce traumatic experiences.
The representation of trauma is highly individual - each character copes differently, reflecting the complexity of human responses to trauma.

Role of Costume, Set, and Lighting in Necessary Targets

The costumes in Necessary Targets reflect the characters’ social, cultural, and personal identities. For instance, Zlata’s sophisticated attire hints at her previous life as an educated, middle-class woman.
The set is typically sparse, with a refugee camp representing the main setting. This minimalist aesthetic forces audience focus on character relationships and interactions.
Lighting in Necessary Targets frequently reflects and enhances the emotional state of the characters or the prevalent mood of a scene.
Occasional shifts in light can correspond with shifts in narrative or emotional expression, emphasising the dramatic impact of a particular moment.

The Therapeutic Process as a Dramatic Convention

Necessary Targets uses the therapeutic process as a dramatic convention to rationalise monologues and dialogue-centric scenes.
The therapy sessions facilitate character introspective moments, and promote narrative progression as characters use the safe space to share their stories.
The therapeutic process also serves as an exploration of the overarching theme of healing, offering a semblance of hope amidst the bleak reality of war.