About the project
The play «I Killed My Ex» by the French-Brazilian-British author Emilie Biason (translation: Helena Steele) is the second project of the theatre collective KLIO, founded in 2024. With this production, we are presenting an Austrian premiere for the first time. We aim to create a fast-paced evening that allows equal space for laughter and lightness as well as serious, thought-provoking moments.
Five performances are scheduled in Vienna and Mödling in March 2026. After one of the shows, we are also planning a post-performance audience discussion on the themes of the play (violence in relationships, friendship, female rage) in order to engage in dialogue with the audience.
PERFORMANCE DATES AND VENUES:
Spektakel Wien: 8 and 12 March / Redbox Mödling: 20 March / Ateliertheater Wien: 27 and 28 March
Start time: 7:30 pm each evening, Duration: 90 minutes (no interval)
TEAM:
Director: Samantha Steppan / Performers: Nerea Burger, Julia Hammerl / Costume Design: Pille-Riin Jaik / Music and Sound: Lukas Brunner / Concept and Set Design: Nerea Burger, Julia Hammerl, Samantha Steppan / Assistant: Lara Sagmeister / Photography: Tim Dornaus / Graphic Design: Chiara Marquart
About the play
In this dark comedy, the two protagonists – Tina and Lola – are burying the body of Tina’s fiancé, Matt, in the woods on the night of her wedding.
As Tina struggles with gaps in her memory, Lola tries to keep control and manage the situation: evidence must be erased, explanations invented, decisions made. But the deeper they venture into the forest, the more unsettling things become. Secrets, suppressed emotions, and old wounds begin to surface. And throughout it all, the same question lingers: what really happened to Matt?
Biason blends elements of thriller, crime drama, and relationship drama with a sharp, dark humour reminiscent of films such as Thelma & Louise and Kill Bill. The play draws on pop-cultural references, female rage, and the question of how far loyalty and friendship can be pushed in extreme circumstances.
Formally, «I Killed My Ex» is a fast-paced two-hander driven by tight dialogue, situational wit, and sudden emotional shifts. It creates space for highly physical, visually expressive performance, while offering a feminist and darkly humorous perspective on trauma, violence, and solidarity. Moving between slapstick and the abyss, it builds a grotesque comic tension that grips audiences while prompting reflection on guilt, memory, and the power to break free from a story in which one was never allowed to take the leading role.
This is what we need backing for.
«I Killed My Ex» is a theatre piece about transgressions, vulnerability, and reclaiming one’s own voice. As an independent collective of female artists, we consciously tell stories about women — loudly, radically, and beyond established narrative patterns. In a cultural landscape where feminist art is often underfunded, we are committed to creating spaces in which female perspectives are taken seriously. Your support on WeMakeIt enables us to realise this production with the artistic freedom, care, and passion it deserves.
As funding opportunities within Austria’s cultural landscape become increasingly precarious, we, as a young collective, rely on additional financial support to be able to remunerate everyone involved at least somewhat fairly. Further expenses such as venue hire, props and costumes will also be partly covered through the crowdfunding campaign. A donation of just €20, for instance, covers the material costs for a costume piece, while €100 almost finances the production of an entire song.
Support us now in bringing «I Killed My Ex» successfully to the stage – every contribution counts!
