Amandio Cardoso in Attempt

When I saw a version of Attempt two years ago, Amandio Cardoso was on the verge of graduating from European Theatre Arts at Rose Bruford College, a course which is experimental, off-the-wall and full of surprises, a course which challenges the contemporary theatre of today. How did I come to be watching Cardoso performing his piece…because it was the very same course I had chosen to do myself and had just finished my first year of training.

Two years ago I was (even more) young, naive and didn’t have a clue what Cardoso was attempting to do by sitting in a bucket of jam and reciting lines that had no meaning. Thankfully in the years that have passed since the 20 minute version of Cardoso’s work, Attempt is anything but ‘no meaning’. It is a visual and poetic confession of the author himself. Attempt borders performance art and contemporary theatre where it would justly find a home in the walls of the Tate Modern as it does within the Etcetera Theatre.

Cardoso creates in his 55 minute show a collection of visually striking images that are at times unsightly to the eyes, but leave an impression of loss, anger and torment. The text conceived by Cardoso himself drifts between questions with no answers and lyrically poetic descriptions. Whilst the images created may not be pleasing to the eye or indeed experience (the stuffing of red chillies into the performers mouth whilst illuminated with strip white lighting) this is not art for arts sake, or indeed a performance with no meaning.

Attempt is quite literally an attempt at Cardoso to show himself, the man caught and exposed under the lights, or as conceived in the show – under the x-ray light. Stripped back from chained creature, to a version of Adam (and Eve) with fig leaves, to the quivering body of a performer singing “I am trapped inside this body”. The boy that I was two years prior scratching his head in an attempt to find narrative was left stunned for words. Attempt is not an easy piece to watch, but you have to admire Cardoso ability to create such unforgettable images on the stage with such poignant reminders: not all of us are born into a body that is easy for us to work with.

More info on Amandio Cardoso can be found on his website here. Attempt is part of The Camden Fringe. For more shows taking place within the festival see The Camden Fringe Website.