Phoenix Syndrome
An existential comedy on a meal plan, 2024 - ongoing
Ten days. One weight correction center. A chorus of inner voices, calorie counts, and uncomfortable truths.
Phoenix Syndrome is a darkly funny, deeply human solo performance that unpacks our complex relationships with body image, control, and self-worth. Based on Baiba Zīle’s book “Rausītis un karma”, the play explores what really hides beneath our “before and after” photos — anxiety, shame, pressure to improve, and the ever-present voice asking: Am I enough yet?
Set in a fictional rehabilitation program, the story follows a woman as she navigates diets, detoxes, self-help mantras, and silent breakdowns. What begins as a satirical take on wellness culture unfolds into a raw journey toward acceptance — of self, body, and all the messy emotions in between.
With humor, vulnerability, and just the right amount of broccoli, Phoenix Syndrome invites audiences to laugh, reflect, and maybe, for once, not try to fix themselves.
Created and performed by: Vanda Gibovska
Directed by: Eduards Belņikovs
Production: New East (small-stage series)
Included in the national Skolas Soma program, the performance has toured student audiences across Latvia as a tool for cultural education and dialogue around body image, values, and self-perception.