The play takes place on a island of dreams. Mère-Grand learns that Myrrhine has distanced herself from her five sisters to dream on her own by the sea. She worries about it, as this daydreaming can only carry the young woman off towards reality. Myrrhine confirms that the “bandeau d’illusion” (the blindfold of illusion) has indeed been lifted from her eyes, and that she no longer believes in fairytales, only in love: she loves the Chevalier Tavonin (Knight Tavonin) and believes that she is loved by him too. The Knight appears on a small boat with Aurore, his new lover, and rejects Myrrhine. In her despair, she calls on the Génie des Arbres (the Genie of the Trees) and the Fée des Mousses (the Moss Fairy), but they are powerless—they cannot console her now that she has lost her illusions. Myrrhine kills herself by jumping into the sea. Mère-Grand blames her death on the Knight, but he replies saying that he is Love incarnated and that all of Myrrhine’s sisters will suffer the same fate, as their eyes will eventually be opened too.

Not specified

Belgium

Printed

Love

Illusion

Dream

Reality

Unfaithfulness

Death

Suicide

Belief

Island

Childhood

Teenagers

Fairy

Genie

Plant world

Funeral procession

Tragic

Fantasy

French

Grandmother

Knight

Apparition

Revelation

Allegory

Le Bandeau d'illusion

The Blindfold of illusion

The puppeteer is an inmate. He plays his puppet show for an audience of psychology students who have come to hear him relate his autobiographical story. He introduces the characters: Dean’s puppet, Wayne’s puppet, and the puppets of several dead boys. He also plays his own role, that of David. David and Wayne are a teenage couple. Dean is older than them. In their house, they talk of multiple murders they committed together: in the cave, the victims were killed by Dean, with the help of Wayne, after having been sexually assaulted, tortured and mutilated. The crimes were recorded on camera by David. The series of murders goes on until the murder of Jamie – a boy Wayne was in love with. Wayne is blinded by rage and kills Dean. David suggests that they put an end to the killing spree. Wayne agrees in a first time. But when he meets Brad, another boy, and engages in an erotic game at the end of which he takes Dean’s place: he tortures Brad until he kills him. After the murder, David kills Wayne during a panic attack. Then he calls the police and confesses to his crimes.

Glove-puppet

Adults

Cooper Dennis

France

Brest

Electronic text

Murder

Torture

Blood

Perversity

Madness

Drugs

Serial killer

United States of America

Drug addiction

Minor news

Homosexuality

Schizophrenia

Evil

Humorous

Gore

Dennis Cooper, Jerk, stage direction by Gisèle Vienne, 2008.

English

Alternating narrative / dialogue

Recounting of memories

Address to the public

Puppet theatre within the theatre

Off-stage voice

Musical pause

Jerk

In an American high school, a group of girls decide to make a secret pact. They choose to get pregnant together, then flee their town and found a female community. When the headmaster realises what is happening, he tries to cover it up, fearing confrontation with parents and the media, but inevitably everything comes to light. The girls inform their boyfriends of their pregnancies by text message, and then they organise their escape. The parents' cries will not deter them from their intentions. On the contrary, these same cries will turn into reflections on their own faults and on the causes of this shocking pact.

Le Bandeau d'illusion

Jerk

Sorry, boys

Discussions about a secret pact for 12 severed heads