Mothers – A Song for Wartime
Guest performance by Marta Górnicka & The Chorus Of Women
On the theatre stage, a polyphonic choir rises up against the violence of war. Under the direction of Polish director Marta Górnicka, Ukrainian, Polish and Belarusian women and children aged between 9 and 71 transform their experiences of war into a collective work of art. The performers - many of them refugees from Mariupol, Kyiv, Irpin and Kharkiv - combine traditional Ukrainian songs with nursery rhymes, magic spells and political statements to create a powerful whole.
The piece begins with a Shchedrivka, a traditional Ukrainian song that takes on a new meaning in the context of war. At a time when Ukraine is fighting for its survival, Górnicka draws on these old forms to counter the rituals of war violence against women and civilians. The special feature of the performance lies in the reversal of the usual war narrative: instead of staging women as victims, it places them at the centre of the action.
An artist talk will take place at 6 p.m. Director Marta Górnicka and Anna Galas-Kosil (Deputy Director for Programme Planning, ZBIGNIEW RASZEWSKI THEATRE INSTITUTE) will talk about the challenges of artistic work with different, sometimes marginalised communities. Nora Hertlein-Hull, director of the Theatertreffen of the Berliner Festspiele, will moderate.
The International Theatre Institute - Centre Germany (ITI) will award the ITI Prize 2025 to Marta Górnicka. The prize is endowed with Euro 3,000 and will be awarded following the guest performance. The laudatory speech for Marta Górnicka will be held by Prof. Dr em. Ulrike Haß from the Ruhr Universität Bochum.
