"Estado Vegetal" is a polyphonic, branching, and exuberant monologue. Written and directed by Chilean playwright and director Manuela Infante, this poetically philosophical one-woman show proposes a radical change of perspective: What can we learn from plants with regard to climate catastrophes? The play begins as a human drama: a young motorcyclist is severely injured in an accident caused by a tree. From there, the plot develops into an essayistic exploration based on the revolutionary thinking of plant philosopher Michael Marder and plant neurologist Stefano Mancuso. If we accept that plants have other ways of thinking, feeling, communicating, that they have different forms of being intelligent, of consciousness, and another notion of time, perhaps we can see the transformation of our own notions of thinking, feeling, communicating, and being aware. What would a social structure based on communication systems of plants look like? What would a “vegetal theatre” be? With “Estado Vegetal,” Manuela Infante invites us to leave our anthropocentric logic behind and to go on a journey to the world of plants.
