Milan Serlui

I Can’t Stop The Loneliness is a Dutch-language play inspired by Anri’s song of the same name. During the performance, the audience is drawn into the world of Clementine, which is set against the backdrop of an apocalypse. As a result, she finds herself trapped: a young girl with her sick mother, who spends most of her time in bed. Meanwhile, Clementine has Marle, a man who tells stories with her and tries everything to combat the loneliness and boredom. For Clementine, it is vitally important to keep herself occupied. Anything to avoid thinking about the loss of the people around her. The performance was written, produced and performed by a group of ArtEZ and HKU students. Together, they told a story in which humour was used to defuse the pain of loss and grief. 
 

CLEMENTINE

Dus, hij gaat zitten.
Zijn leren jack gooit hij naar achteren, hangt hem over de stoel. Hij kruist zijn benen.

Oh my god, hij manspreadt niet.

Dan tikt hij zijn zonnebril naar beneden. Oogcontact.

Boemboem boemboem. Haar hart gaat op en neer.
(als de vrouw) Wilt u ook een koffie?
(als de man) Nee. Ik drink alleen    alcohol.

(tegen publiek) Op klaarlichte dag bestelt hij een biertje. Tap. Geen bullshit.

Zijn bier komt.
Hij begint te drinken.
Slok één. Hij knipoogt.
Slok twee. Hij begint met zijn hand op de tafel te tikken.
Slok drie. Ze heeft nog steeds niks gezegd.
Slok vier. Gaat hij het in één keer opdrinken?
Slok vijf. Jezus, hij is nog steeds bezig.
Slok zes.
Hij proest. (giechelt)

Over the past four years, Milan Serlui (born 2002) has attended four funerals. Grief is a recurring theme throughout this writer’s life: great-grandparents, uncles and aunts, neighbours, and the loss of friends and partners. 

As a Flevolandbaby, Milan is a true Utrechtian. As a writer, Milan has a background at the Theatre School in Utrecht, which four years later led to a graduation performance titled I Can’t Stop The Loneliness. Inspired by Anri’s song, music by The Cure, bad rom-coms (Milan’s guilty pleasure) and the reluctance to face grief. 

    Milan also wrote HECHTING, a collection of grief stories, experiences, and an exploration of the effect that male identity has on the expression of grief. 

However, amongst everyone who knows Milan, there is one thing his characters always have in common. If you’re looking for Milan’s work in the future, try searching for Maya in Converse trainers, grief, loss or romance.