ROTA
Stage Design (2025)

ROTA is a decolonial fiction by artist Cecilia Moya Rivera, narrated by three voices on stage. Built on strategies of resistance, the performance explores the heart of colonial shadows. 

Developed in collaboration with Théâtre Arsenic and TU – Théâtre de l'Usine, through stories and experiences from the Global Majority, the audience is invited to reflect on social class, colonialism, and, most of all, reparations.

The set design draws from the colours of the Atacama Desert, together with references to informal street commerce and the everyday objects that carry stories of survival and resistance. Elastic fabrics, ropes, hair, fruit nets, blanket bags, bubble-like forms, and worn, stained materials create an environment that is both fragile and resilient.

 A central spatial decision was to position the audience around the performers, who occupy the centre of the space rather than the stage's edges allowing the audience to experience the work from within.

The scenographic elements reference the visual language of street vendors: hanging display bags, ropes used to quickly bundle blankets when escaping police controls, and materials associated with informal economies, the right to occupy public space, the tensions between whiteness and otherness, and the social expectations placed on bodies and behaviour.

Like the performers, the objects refuse to behave politely, they spill into space, resist order, and oscillate. Rather than functioning as scenery alone, these objects become active participants in the performance, each carrying its own symbolic weight.

For the project, I led the conceptual development and set design. During my maternity leave, the construction, assembly, and adaptation of the scenography were realised by Stéphanie Roşianu and Léonie Vanay, whose craftsmanship and care were essential in bringing the project into its final form.

Credits
Creation, concept, text and direction: Cecilia Moya Rivera
Performers: Cecilia Moya Rivera, Trân Tran, Isam Abad, Azad Bakhti, Flora Mekdes
Set design: Constanza Carvajal Ferrer
Scenography construction: Stéphanie Roşianu & Léonie Vanay
Dramaturgy: Adina Secretan
Sound creation: Andrea Nucamendi Siliceo
Remix song "Juan Gabriel": Lakshmi Fernández
Costumes: Tara Mabiala
Choreography: Isam Abad
Lighting design: Redwan Reys
Visuals and graphics: Diego Crux
Writing coach: Mauricio Adasme
English and French translation: Sebastian Dávila
Production assistant: Thulú Barbarán
Administration: ARROIPhotography © Julie Folly.

Credits