The one-man show KomduSkomdu, taking place at Spazju Kreattiv between November 11 and 13 at 9pm, is an Artivisti project prodding at exploitative political tendencies exacerbating the workforce.

Written by Miguel Formosa, who also plays the role of the protagonist, and director Lee-N Abela, the piece follows David, a data collector under the ministry of Kollox u Xejn, who, following Budget 2022, is working day and night to treat an absurd list of questions for the next budget.

“The plot focuses on two main narratives – the turmoil and chaos that is being unravelled within the country, and the chaos within David’s own life,” says Formosa.

“Lee-N and I wanted to create a character who is flawed in many ways, yet at the same time relatable to the audience. One can say that David as a protagonist is a reflection of how we might perceive our contemporary Maltese society, and even beyond.”

The pair say they have spent months researching and deve­loping the idea of what it means for an individual to be completely immersed in a physical loop while being trapped voluntarily in a workforce system, at the cost of losing precious time, and gaining a few cents per hour.

The play comments most poignantly on the theme of unhappiness within our working lives, using the concept of absurdity to express this.

“The absurdity in KomduSkomdu is an element which rises and dawns throughout the duration of the narrative. One cannot escape it,” says Formosa.

The absurdity in 'KomduSkomdu' is an element which rises and dawns throughout the duration of the narrative

The absurdity is not only inherent to the plot but is also found in the set design and the physicality of the performance, which itself uses Brechtian principles, he explains.

Asked whether the protagonist David is a kind of Winston Smith figure (the character is George Orwell’s 1984 who rebels against his working conditions to regain individually and agency), Formosa said that the character did come up throughout the research process.

“On the one hand, David and Winston as characters do have a similar root. One could trace this similarity to their ill feelings towards the context of confinement within the world they inhabit. Yet, on the other hand, the environment that they both live in and the choices they take are drastically different.

“For one, in 1984, Winston Smith is trapped out of his own free will in Oceania and under Big Brother. There is no better life that he knows, apart from the thoughts in his head.

In KomduSkomdu, David has chosen the life he is trapped in at the beginning of the narrative.

The environment that we have created for David is a stretched-out version of Malta – one which will eventually drive itself in the depths of despair with no one at the helm, while our main pro­tago­nist is trying to get a grasp of himself and try to take charge of the environment which is turning its back on him,” he concludes.

KomduSkomdu is taking place at Spazju Kreattiv between November 11 and 13 at 9pm. Tickets are available at kreattivita.org/en/event/komduskomdu/2022-11-11/. The project is supported by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and Arts Council Malta – Artivisti Programme.