Which memories come to mind and which ones are repressed? Which stories are told and most importantly, which stories manage to be passed on? Against an apocalyptic backdrop, the focus is on the memories of three women. The theater performance Das verkommene Land („The Decayed Land") asks, whose stories endure and who makes these decisions.
The world is burning. Three women seek refuge on the shore of a lake, when a boat with two seats is washed ashore. While Medea negotiates with Noah about whether and how humanity can be saved from the apocalypse, fragments of memories are also washed ashore. And above all, the question looms: whose stories have a place on the boat?
Das Patriarchat, wird geflutet. Es gibt ein Schiff. Da kommen die drauf, die die neue Welt schaffen sollen.
(Auszug „Das Verkommene Land“; "It's the patriarchy, flooded. There's a ship. That's where those who will create the new world will come.")
It's about memories; memories of three women and the question of why some memories are heard and others are not. The starting point was interviews with all those involved.
Staging
This 90-minute theater piece unfolds on three distinct spatial levels: a Robinson Crusoe-like beach setting, aesthetic choral formations, and a direct, almost intimate level with three actresses directly in front of the audience. Initially, these levels are sharply separated, but gradually blend and dissolve completely by the end.
On these three levels, three stories unfold:
- Medea confronts Noah with who he would save on the ark, questioning his privileged perspective and the value of those chosen for salvation. She challenges the potential of a world without patriarchy and privileges, pushing Noah, who is trapped in his patriarchal thought patterns and struggling to find an answer.
- Three actresses reflect on their different experiences as women and as female performers. They recognize that age, sexual orientation, gender, and appearance create diverse life stories.
- With no way out, Julia, Laila, and Aïsha find themselves on a beach surrounded by flames. In an eerie calm, they discuss their situation and possible escape routes before the situation escalates.
Those of us who stand outside the circle of this society’s definition of acceptable women; those of us who have been forged in the crucibles of difference – those of us who are poor, who are lesbians, who are Black, who are older – know that survival is not an academic skill.
- Audre Lorde
Chris Herzog and Alexander Bauer take us on a journey through Duisburg, Bochum and Gelsenkirchen. Grauzone Pott tells the silenced story of migrant resistance and escalating neo-Nazi violence in the Ruhr region in the 1980s and 1990s. Using archive material and talking to contemporary witnesses, the two filmmakers shed light on the deep social tensions and struggles for recognition in a time of struggle for survival. The 5-part series starts on January 9, 2025 and is available everywhere there are podcasts.
The crowdfunding for SISTERQUEENS has started and we need your support. Unfortunately, our funding has expired. Help us to keep SISTERQUEENS alive. Together with you, we can continue to organize workshops, concerts, festivals and camps in Berlin and beyond in the coming years. Always with a focus on empowerment, artistic expression and sister*hood. Support our campaign, like our posts, share our appeal, tell your friends about us. For feminism in rap and empowerment for girls*.
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