Acting-Directing
COSMOS (Not Enough)
Full of fascinating contrasts, the Freistil Festival came to an end at the World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks at the weekend… The interdisciplinary one-woman show by the brilliant German-Luxembourgish actress, singer and performer Sascha Ley was not exactly easy to consume, if only because of the English language used throughout. In her abstract yet poetic and sensual collage ‘Cosmos (not enough)’, she virtuously mixes text, acting and singing with images and projections (in teamwork with light and video artist Krischan Kriesten) as well as sound recordings from the off, so that she often interacts with herself or watches other women she has portrayed on the screen. Ley shows a kind of soul striptease and actually gets naked down to her underwear: in various chapters, she articulates diverse forms of female desire influenced by social conditions such as an age-related maturation process, from passive surrender and acquiescence to (redeeming) self-assertion and liberated sexuality, while at the same time tracing the meaning and power of words that (de)construct feminine self-confidence and the relationship to one's own body. All of this is embedded in a timeless, cosmic experimental space in which individual passion merges with a universal need for closeness and communication. This invitation to a game of exploration of whatever kind (‘Play with me!’) amuses, provokes and disturbs at the same time with its drastic directness. In the end, the invitation to have more sex in an uncomplicated way stands alongside the realisation that ‘maybe’ is generally not enough in life. Not for me!’
Kerstin Krämer Saarbrücker Zeitung 10/24
Space for your own cosmos [...] With Cosmos, Sascha Ley offers a more universal and, to a certain extent, more mature view of the female body. She reflects on her own being in various forms, phases and subjective memories. In her one-hour performance, she sheds her identities like a caterpillar that transforms over time. I want You by Lennon and McCartney plays at the beginning; the audience looks at an egg-shaped swivel chair, a grass-green carpet, a stool and a screen on which the scribbles from a diary can be seen: loose entries consisting of words and illustrations. A transparent dress dangles from a chain from the side of the stage. The music changes to an off-stage voice naming the stars surrounding the earth and their distances.
The human being is just a spark in the infinite cosmos, our existence a brief flicker.
In her solo performance Cosmos (Not Enough) , Sascha Ley mixes dance, movement and song and supplements these with video recordings from the very beginning. She tells a story about love and lust, based on her version and her song lyrics(Love Say Abbreviate, Once Heart, This Thing About Memory). In collaboration with the German light artist Krischan Kriesten, Ley has created a sensual, interdisciplinary performance.
She successively weaves associative spaces, starting from her own cosmos and consistently questioning herself: What is a word? How do we communicate? Do we even know ourselves? What is the (female) body? What is female desire? Are our bodies mere projection surfaces for the desires of others...? "Imagine reconstructing the female body and mind!"
Ley begins her performance in a man’s suit and will gradually remove her clothes. Almost naked, she will feel her body and explore limbs and (sexual) organs: breasts, nipples, vagina. What makes a person human? What is hidden behind?
There are three loose storylines that are introduced via video projection: The first tells a love story, the second investigates (pseudo-)scientifically how the female body is constructed, in the third, women talk about their sexual (violent) fantasies. In the film, Ley plays the role of various women and a man who all talk about different sexual experiences, or are they the same experiences perceived differently? How true is a love story in retrospect, what remains in our selective perception and what do we ignore? Everyone has their own subjective perception of themselves and the world - based on their [emotional] baggage.
In her stream of consciousness, Ley playfully, mockingly and at times pensively reflects on the different perceptions, and plays with heteronormative gender roles or rolls on the carpet in abandon. The performance is linguistically witty, beguiling in its singing and coherent in its choreography, yet does not pose any overly difficult questions.
When a sparkler burns out at the end, the artist casually looks back on her own life plans and invites the audience to reflect on their own experiences. Those who get involved in the sensual performance can experience their own journey through their "cosmos". Those who do not succed, can allow the sensory smoke to take effect and enjoy. It is a powerful solo performance that lives from the facets of Ley's strong stage presence, the songs sung with her smoky, jazzy voice and the recorded video clips.
At the end is the beginning: a diary with collage-like sketches like a Pixi notebook that documents the associative journey through her own consciousness. More of this! Anina Valle Thiele, Land 5.4.24
On stage, Sascha Ley embodies love, desire and the experience of space. “COSMOS - Not Enough”, in which you will applaud the artist Sascha Ley for her exceptional performance. Sascha is alone on stage, exuberant and full of strength, and she brilliantly embodies this All, this Cosmos. She is the author and performer of this highly visual show, which gives pride of place to poetry that is spoken and proclaimed with brilliance. On stage, Sascha alone embodies the entire feminine Cosmos.
She constructs, deconstructs and reconstructs it. She provokes a lot of thought in the audience. What is woman, what is femininity, is it different from man, from masculinity, or do the genders intersect and diminish in infinity, in the Cosmos, ad infinitum?
As a conqueror of words, expressions and territories, Sascha Ley penetrates the innermost recesses of our consciousness, our collective memory and reality. On stage, she leads a kind of solo debate on relationships, desire, lust, love, polarity, erotic attraction and the experience of space and time, perhaps even of spaces and times.
Based on a project involving lyrical prose, collages and illustrations, the show’s creator and designer has developed a powerful contemporary project. Cosmos is an interdisciplinary performance combining narrative images, sound, music and movement.
Obviously, we’re in experimental territory here, but Sascha has concocted an experience that has done us a lot of good. And not just for us, as the audience gave her a big round of applause. Sascha’s work is a little provocative, but the most important thing is that it provokes debate, questions and challenges. Michel Schroeder, Lëtzebuerger Land 03/24
I was lucky enough to attend the opening night and it has left a lasting impression! Immediately afterward I said I felt like I needed a cigarette even though I don’t smoke and that I was glad I didn’t have to review it overnight for publication. It’s the Cosmos! A lot to take in, to absorb and to reflect on. It’s poetic and provocative, visually stunning, brave, honest, and humorous in parts too. I can still see Sascha rotating slowly in the pivotal chair, talking to the audience intimately as if it were a one-to-one. And I can still see her in a gossamer gown, a solitary planet, looking up at the whirling stars. As you know, she’s a gifted singer and composer - there may be no sound in space but there are galaxies of captivating sounds on stage. Don’t take up smoking and don’t take young children, but do go and see what you discover about life, art and yourself in this fascinating voyage.
Wendy Winn,Radio ARA/Writer 03/24
Unveiling the Cosmos Within: A Unique Journey Through Perception and Reality
Dive into the immersive world of 'Cosmos (Not Enough)' at Théâtre National du Luxembourg, where art and experience intertwine to challenge perceptions, explore gender dynamics, and reflect on the complexities of human existence.
Themes That Resonate on a Universal Level. The themes of 'Cosmos (Not Enough)' are as varied as they are profound. From the unequal perceptions that shape our understanding of the world to the memories that define our reality, the performance is a mirror reflecting the complexities of human existence. It also critically examines the dynamics of gender and relationships, presenting them not as mere social constructs but as elemental forces that drive our deepest passions and desires. This rich tapestry of ideas is presented in a language that is both accessible and engaging, making it a thought-provoking experience for a diverse audience.
A unique exploration of the human condition... a testament to the power of interdisciplinary art to challenge, inspire, and transform. In a world where the quest for understanding and connection is more important than ever, this performance offers a beacon of hope and a reminder of the boundless potential that lies within the cosmos of human experience. Salman Khan, Bnnbreaking.com 02/24
Exacting language explores passion in premiere of ‘Cosmos (Not Enough)’. Intimacy on a grand scale as Sascha Ley reflects on human desires against the backdrop of a world that keeps on turning
What a performance it is. Through the spoken word – both live on stage, pre-recorded and on screen, and using dance, movement and song – she begins to tell a story about us as humans, and about love, passion and lust.
The programme says Cosmos (Not Enough) “is a stream of consciousness”, but her words are not just incoherent sentences, they are carefully chosen and delivered with Ley’s trademark deep, sometimes husky, voice.
Ley has based Cosmos (Not Enough) on a lyrical prose project, word collages and illustrations, and it combines her storytelling narrative, sound, music and movement, in collaboration with light, video and sound artist Krischan Kriesten.
It showcases Ley’s many talents, not just for abstract poetry, but her soulful singing voice, her toned dancer’s body. She is quite a force to be reckoned with on stage, and yet she has an impish smile and proffers a wink here and there, as she lets us in on her joke.
Ley gives a more mature take on love, and reflects in her many guises on the different memories she has built in her lifetime, against the backdrop of time and the universe. It’s a fascinating concept that prompts you to revisit your own journey, your own experiences and your own version of events. Sarita Rao, Luxembourg Times 02/24
I saw her in the English-language solo piece Cosmos (Not Enough), which she wrote herself – text, performance, video, sound: Sascha Ley – and was thrilled. A tour de force of acting, singing and dancing. She acts, she sings, she composes, she writes, she dances ... To call Sascha Ley a multidisciplinary artist would almost be an understatement.
Pascal Steinwachs Journal 03/24
Dear Sascha, what a magnificent show you've given us this evening. You've put your whole body and soul into it, an exceptional multi-polar artist: Your art of words, language, writing, voice, singing, gestures and movement, all live and vibrate in synergy thanks to your passion and your admirably mastered rage for expression. Many thanks for this evening. Lambert Schlechter, writer and poet 02/24
Papercut
Faber and her cast of Sascha Ley and Andrea Hall create a spellbinding drama that asks universal questions about courage, commitment, ethics, loyalty, patriarchy and the whole rotten system. Delano digital 25.1.22 || read all
When Sascha Ley screams "I was burning inside!", one can more than empathize with the whistleblower's anger, disappointment, inner turmoil and disillusionment. The effervescent dialogues between the two female figures, which later turn out to be two versions of one and the same personality, become an immersive, intense experience. An excellent performance by both actresses. Tageblatt 01/22
MI FRIDA
Always changing, always new, always surprising. Who is the dancer, who is the singer, who is the actress? The boundaries are blurred. (...) Sometimes there is also a tinge of absurdity. (...) At the end the songs are sad, the fight becomes a dance of death. And yet we see no victim, but both a strong and desperate woman. Even in these terms, the performance is incontestable. Strong. Trierischer Volksfreund (D)
Bomb Song
No doubt, Sascha Ley is a genuine multi-talent; after all, she is not just a songwriter, composer and interpreter but works as an actress and a director as well… What remains unchanged, however, is the seductive mood, the poetry of it all, which has become Sascha’s trademark. Le Quotidien (L)
A brilliant actress. Sonntagsnachrichten (D)
The powerful Sascha Ley. Deutschlandfunk (D)
Heute Abend: Lola Blau
Divine … simply captivating, enchanting, marvelously vulgar and full of magic charisma. Süddeutsche Zeitung (D)
