Louis is 16 and a normal teenager. But his usual school routine is interrupted one day when his teacher forgets to log out from the school’s intranet. Now he has access to all kinds of information: Not only can he access to lists of marks and test preparation, he can even put his school mates in detention. Louis creates an anonymous internet personality named Narzissus, and soon the whole school follows him. Its profile image is the head of a wolf. Goaded on by his schoolmates, Narzissus is able to cancel school and improve marks. That is why the wolf soon becomes a symbol not only for the apparent freedom from rules and consequence but also for the revolt of young people. What began with small actions develops into a veritable hype: The movement that Louis created in the guise of Narzissus can soon no longer be controlled.
Louis loses himself in the illusion of being the most popular guy in school who can grant all wishes – even though nobody knows that he is Narzissus. Louis’ sister Eko and his classmate Sedna are both fascinated by the charming Narzissus. While Eko immerses herself deeper and deeper into social media, Sedna tries to hold her breath in the swimming pool as long as possible in order to feel closer to her mother. In a world where the boundaries between virtual and real life become blurred, it is more and more difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, dream and reality. Not only Louis but Sedna and Eko, too, are dragged into a maelstrom of lies. Until something happens that allows no turning back.
Canadian authors Andréanne Joubert and Jean-François Guilbault have created a captivating play where sober reality clashes with dreams, social media and mythological metaphors. Unter Wasser received the 2014 Prix Louise Lahaye in Québec for the best play for young people. Director Alisa Guberman’s production of Unter Wasser will be her debut at Ballhof Zwei.