But different.

Modern day office work can be a slog – from the day to day commute to the facetious performance we put on in front of our colleagues, to the droll routines and the pressure of climbing the corporate ladder. As a result, burnout is almost always lurking around the corner, threatening to rear its head and bring us crashing down.

But perhaps there is a solution to it, if only we’d shift our perspective, and inject a dose of fun and absurdity into our daily lives. That is the solution proposed by Dame de Pic/Cie Karine Ponties & Temporary Collective at least, in their work SAME SAME, which played as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival last weekend. Choreographed by Karine Ponties, the work features dancer Tereza Ondrova and experimental theatremaker Petra Tejnorova, as they go about a rather unusual day navigating their collegial relationship with each other at work.

SAME SAME seems rather bleak at first, with its monochrome set design – a white floor with black tape forming lines across it, resembling lined paper or sheet music, perhaps a reminder of how one is often encouraged to stay within the margins of error and conform to specific behaviours. Petra is onstage, already in her jacket and pencil skirt, but plugged into her mp3 player (with red earphones) and wearing sneakers, a temporary moment of freedom of expression as she dances with abandon before entering her ‘workspace’ – a single structure that resembles a reception desk, where she changes into more professional heels and stows away her music, all while a steady, somewhat ominous beat plays.

It soon becomes clear that Petra is the more junior staff, as from behind the desk pops Tereza, rising up like a mole in the ground in identical jacket and skirt, and they begin their work day. Petra constantly tries to mimic Tereza’s actions, as if doing so might help her come across better, from little things like the way she rests her hands, to holding a briefcase and pacing the stage in a brisk walk. Yet, something strange begins to happen amidst all this, as Tereza begins to exhibit some truly bizarre behaviour, as the experienced dancer allows her body to behave in more unruly ways – stooping low while walking, or even collapsing her body for Petra to catch, much to her shock.

It is at this point that SAME SAME reveals its true intent and potential – to subvert any and all expectations of ‘acceptable’ behaviour and learn to have fun with bending those rules. Nothing is as it seems, and even with limited props, these are multipurpose and transform into new set pieces each time: a trolley becomes a makeshift exercise machine while both women vigorously work out in their office wear; then becomes a dining table when they throw a black cloth over it. The reception desk, when flipped on its side, becomes a stairway to ascend, as if symbolic of the corporate ladder both women feel compelled to climb.

Choreographer Katine Ponties clearly knows what she’s doing when it comes to this act of co-creation; both performers are attuned to their strengths, where Petra excels in comedy while Tereza shows off her technical ability with how flexible her body is in writhing and twisting into impossible positions, a tension that always exists between the two from rivalry or their confusion in how to work effectively together. There is a keen sense of comic timing that goes into each segment, whether it is reacting with sheer terror (Petra) or remaining completely stoic and stone-faced (Tereza), playing off each other’s opposing energies.

While the series of scenes might appear haphazard at first, it all seems to come together to formulate a cohesive narrative, each woman developing a clear storyline and character over the course of the show, both learning to let go and no longer be weighed down by the expectations placed upon them. Petra in particular drives the narrative forward when she faces her fear of ascending the stairway, and tries to find ways and means of circumnavigating it to avoid getting hurt (with a small but brilliant moment of audience interaction), or literally shifting it around the space, in an attempt to change the system.

Eventually, rather than competing as rivals, Petra and Tereza seem to finally get closer to one another, choosing cooperation instead. They learn to support each other quite literally, and in its final scene, ride a makeshift tandem bike with each other as the lights fade on them. SAME SAME impresses with how much creativity and imagination has been derived from a seemingly droll topic, tackled with gusto and humour that leaves one with a smile. Freedom is at the heart of what SAME SAME wants you to leave with, and with how effectively they’ve presented their form of physical theatre, it well and truly makes you want to get up and dance like no one’s watching the next time you find yourself on the verge of a breakdown in your office cubicle.

Photo Credit: Vojtěch Brtnický

SAME SAME played from 20th to 21st January 2024 at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. More information available here

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024 runs from 17th to 28th January 2024 across various venues. Full line-up available here, with tickets available from BookMyShow

Production Credits:

Choreographer: Karine Ponties Performers: Tereza Ondrova, Petra Tejnorova Lighting Designer: Guillaume Toussaint Fromentin