Marta Górnicka
Mothers. A Song for Wartime
Warsaw
Women – the silent victims of all wars? A cliché the Warsaw director Marta Górnicka and her women’s choir dispel loudly and courageously. When Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine began, the artist, who has always worked politically, sought dialogue with women affected by the war and came up with a piece whose great urgency has captivated theatre-goers throughout Europe ever since.
Together with Ukrainian and Belarusian women, some of whom fled to Poland with their children, she created a choral theatre about violence against female bodies based on the women’s experiences. The result is far more than a documentation of the suffering that war – no matter where in the world it rages – also spreads beyond the front line. Górnicka makes use of one of the most classical, yet contemporary form of theatre: both the texts and the interspersed folk songs and nursery rhymes are recited by a choir of female voices. «Mothers. A Song for Wartime» makes us aware of the universality of the individual experiences described. This extremely powerful piece is bound to overwhelm and captivate you, leaving you with an altered perspective on the world out there.(se)
Simple words
A choir of women is on stage.
They tell how they had to flee the war in Ukraine.
They talk about their experiences of war and violence.
And they sing.
It is an emotional and moving piece.
Artistic direction and cast
| Konzept & Regie | Marta Górnicka |
|---|---|
| Mit | Liza Kozlova, Palina Dabravolskaja, Svitlana Onischak, Kateryna Taran, Svitlana Berestovska, Valeriia Obodianska, Sasha Cherkas, Mariia Tabachuk, Yuliia Ridna, Natalia Mazur, Aleksandra Sroka, Katarzyna Jaźnicka, Bohdana Zazhytska, Anastasiia Kulinich, Hanna Mykhailova, Katerina Aleinikova, Elena Zui-Voitek-hovskaya, Kamila Michalska, Maria Robaszkiewicz, Polina Shkliar, Ewa Konstanciak |
| Libretto | Marta Górnicka, The Chorus of Women |
| Musikalisches | |
| Konzept & Komposition | Wojchiech Frycz, Marta Górnicka |
| Choreografie | Evelin Facchini |
| Bühne | |
| Robert Rumas | |
| Kostüme | Joanna Załęska |
| Dramaturgische Mitarbeit | Olga Byrska, Maria Jasińska |
| Foto | Bartek Warzecha |
Production
| Produktion | The Chorus of Women Foundation (Warschau), Maxim Gorki Theater |
|---|---|
| Koproduktion | Teatr Powszechny Warschau, Festival d’Avignon, Maillon Théâtre de Strasbourg Scène européenne, Spring Performing Arts Festival, Tangente St. Pölten – Festival für Gegenwartskultur |
| Unterstützung | Teatr Dramatyczny in Warschau, Nowy Teatr Warschau, Ukrainian Institute, For Free- dom Foundation Warschau, Przystanek Świetlica, The «Sunflower» Solidary Community Center |
| Premiere | 29. September 2023, Teatr Powszechny (Warschau) |
Werft
Choir Theatre, Self-Empowerment, Against War Violence
Duration
1 hrs.
Language
Ukrainian, Polish, Belarusian
Surtitles
German and English
Age
14 years plus
Post-Performance Talk
Thu 15.8., after the performance
An inclusive event
Audio Description
Performance on Fri 16 August with live audio description
Stammtisch
Sat 17.8., 21.00 hrs
Post Performance Talk
Do 15.8., after the performance
Content Notes / Trigger Warnings
The play deals with violence, war and flight.
The text explicitly describes sexualized violence against female characters.
The performers show strong emotions on stage, such as screaming.