Staubfrau (DE)

A river flows through the village, part of the scenery, as if it had always been there. At times it is a torrent, at others it is a soft burbling, but it is always in motion, always unstoppable. On some days, when the sun is low in the sky and the water is totally clear, you might almost surmise what lies on the ground of the riverbed: a child’s bicycle, a necklace, a red dress – remains of a past that has been nearly forgotten but never quite overcome.

That is the story of the “Staubfrau”, the woman of dust. It is a chorus, a voice that connects several generations without trying to extinguish its discordances. The “Staubfrau” is: a grandmother whose best friend fell victim to femicide as a young girl. A mother who had to learn to quietly bear insults and humiliations. A daughter who is subjected to continual domestic violence in her relationship. All their lives’ stories seem to be following a predestined course, shaped by the torrential stream of violence that carries them off and from which there seems to be no escape. Like the river shapes the village, the violence shapes the women’s bodies, memories and decisions, although in different ways.

But the daughter no longer wants to submit to this inevitability. There must be a way to stop the stream, to reroute it, to find new turn-offs. And so she sets out on the search: She scratches the village community’s silence which has covered the past like a layer of dust. She opens herself up to conflict with her ancestors, listens, responds, endures. Over and over, she resists the maelstrom that tries to draw her life’s path back onto its preset course. Her attempt to drive the river into a new direction takes courage and strength. It appears to be doomed to failure. She soon discovers: There are no easy answers, there is only the decision to no longer let herself drift.

Maria Milisavljević is an artist, translator and theatre maker. Her plays have been translated into several languages and produced at renowned theatres worldwide. Her unique use of language and her talent to describe complex webs of relationships are recurring characteristics of her texts. “Staubfrau” was the second of her plays to be nominated for the Mülheim Dramatists’ Award.

Director, set and costume designer Kamila Polívková has been working for renowned theatres including Schauspiel Köln, Deutsches Theater Berlin and Schauspielhaus Zürich for years. Her productions are distinguished by a delicate imagery and precise study of societal structures. She has previously worked at Schauspiel Leipzig as a costume designer and now makes her return as a director with Maria Milisavljević’s “Staubfrau”