Jumping down the rabbit hole of the subconscious
Anna is Viennese. She lives in Josefstadt. One day she comes home from work and finds out that her boyfriend Paul has prepared a surprise party for her. That’s right. She has forgotten: she has turned 30, and today is her birthday. She soon realizes that Paul has invited a lot of people she would never invite: her ex-husband, her annoying boss, her abusive ex-boyfriend, etc. Trying to maneuver her way through the party crowd to avoid awkward conversations, she bumps into her father, who passed away several years ago, and realizes that something is wrong with this birthday party. The performance turns out to be a parable about self-reflection and emancipation, and the 30th birthday represents the turning point in life when Anna reevaluates her experiences and choices. The play is based on documentary material - interviews and conversations with women and men who were psychologically abused and/or considered their relationships co-dependent.
The real-life stories served as inspiration for fictional characters and a surreal fictional plot that explores themes of emancipation, equality, and feminism in a condensed and symbolic form. Six characters - Anna (the lead), and five men she has met in her life (from her boyfriend to her father) are played by two actresses who jump in and out of the roles and situations, telling and commenting on the story simultaneously
What is special about our project
We talk about traumas that are difficult to talk about, and that are rarely talked about. Humans are generally very lonely beings. But we have the unique ability to share our loneliness with others. And at that very moment, paradoxically, we become less lonely. In this piece, we want to give voice to those things that are often experienced alone.
The story is meant to reflect the sensitive issues that come with partnership and touch on the feminist aspects of relationships. The space that partners share with each other changes and distorts their personal spaces; the life experiences they bring to their relationship take on completely different perspectives; good intentions manifest in harmful ways. We want to explore: where is the line between love and co-dependence, when caring turns to abuse, why intimacy can be intimidating, and how to accept each other’s differences and find harmony in togetherness.
We create an artistic universe. From the beginning of the performance, we invite the audience on a journey down the rabbit hole of the subconscious. The images we encounter there are creepy, eerie, and confusing: we dive into a dream that balances on the border between nightmare and epiphany. To express these contents, we will create on stage an authentic artistic universe that includes visual elements, choreography, movement improvisations, written texts, and a multi-layered soundtrack.
We want to inspire a change. We hope that speaking about complicated issues will help to dissolve traumatic patterns in our society and make relationships between people more harmonious, fair, and respectful.
The project was initiated by Josefine Reich, –, and Ivan Strelkin as a production of the Flirty Horse art collective (Vienna). We are planning a premiere of the piece at Pygmalion Theater (Alser Straße 43, A-1080 Vienna) on November 2,3,4 and we need your support!
This is what I need backing for.
To make the project happen, we need to cover some basic production costs, including rent for the stage and rehearsal space, making props and costumes, and fees for technicians. The amount we are trying to raise is not very big but essential for our performance. We would be very grateful for your support and would be happy to express our gratitude through the rewards we offer our contributors!
