Persona non grata

Persona Non Grata was never really a character, but a moment where performance and reality collapsed into one another. Born out of creative paralysis leading up to the Not Safe For Work show, they emerged when the idea of turning sex into something playful or celebratory suddenly felt impossible. While everyone else seemed ready for liberation and glitter, Persona Non Grata carried the weight of something darker: violated boundaries, manipulation, silence, and the lingering feeling of being changed by an experience that refused to leave the body. 

After weeks of failed concepts and abandoned performances, the realization arrived suddenly, standing in the shower on the day of the show itself. The answer was not to perform around the pain, but to walk directly into it. On stage, Persona Non Grata did not hide behind irony, camp, or fiction. They spoke clearly, shared their story, played an intimate recording, and allowed the audience to witness something painfully real. The performance became a final translation of trauma into language, sound, and presence. 

Persona Non Grata’s exists as a reminder that performance can also be confession, confrontation, and ritual. Not every story needs a resolution. Sometimes sharing and being heard is the key to finally let something go.

Persona non grata = "unacceptable person" or "unwelcome person"

For me, one of the very first stages of this process was denial. This character name was chosen because this negative experience made me feel trapped within myself. Accepting trauma meant confronting my ego (surely this would not happen to me?) and the beliefs I held about myself, when parts of my experience felt impossible to face. That is why I chose the name Persona Non Grata: it reflects the belief I had that this part of myself was unwelcome or should remain hidden. And if I could barely face this experience myself, how could I expect anyone else to welcome it? 

Appeared in: KALEIDO: NSFW

Played by: Sebastián