Sweat

A production by Riebensahm/Ahmad Haschemi/Hourmazdi/Christians/Schwenk, in co-production with SOPHIENSÆLE. Funded by the Capital Cultural Fund, the Senate Department for Culture and Europe, the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony and the LOTTO Foundation. With the support of Theaterhaus Mitte.

Selected for FREISCHWIMMEN, the international coproduction and residency network.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Take a look at our power-critical plant seedlings who are staying at our Sweat residencies at Gessenrallee Zurich, FFT Düsseldorf, Schwankhalle Bremen and Sophiensaele:

plant seedlings website

SHOWS

Sophiensaele Berlin, Premiere: 29th November 2019 and 30th November 2019

Gessnerallee Zürich: 21. + 22. March 2020 (canceled due to Corona)

Theaterhaus Hildesheim, double presentation: Doppelaufführungen: 9th - 11th Oktober 2020

HAND OUT IN THE PERFORMANCE

III. act

I am reading this text “Living the consequences”. So many thoughts and reflections in which I find myself, put so clearly and plausibly to the point.

Then I see: the text is from 2014 and I feel weak at the knees.

I think of all the great Black writers and writers of color who have written so much important on these subjects over the years and decades. And I remember how I used to think “Ah, that's a great text! I have to send it to xy, maybe they'll see what I mean!"

The memory of it makes me sad, frustrated and hopeless.

How many siblings have articulated so many defiant and vital truths? And yet it always seems to be the same fights.

"If only I can make it clear enough!"

"If I write a text that explains it even more clearly."

"If I can just find the right words, then..."

I can try as hard as I can. We can still write, explain, describe, execute so much. We talk until we're foaming at the mouth, but then we always get back to the same point: fighting for the bare minimum.

XI. act

I am good at analytically describing violent social dynamics in structures, processes and situations. I always thought that was the most important thing. Now I'm learning that I'm not good at figuring out and articulating what these dynamics are doing to me physically and emotionally.

I can blatantly ignore my physical needs and use my body more as a container that transports me from A to B - the computer up there works.

Only when the brain gets problems do I think, "Now something to drink - water helps with thinking!" or: "Now eat something, because of the circulatory system."; but otherwise I don't feel so much anymore. I only notice hunger and thirst very late.

I do it, even though I know rationally that body and head are actually inseparable, in the long run. In my case, for many long years.

I am now trying to feel these connections again. To find out how things like loneliness - hurt - anger - power structures - hierarchy of values and norms - shame - sadness - self-esteem - happiness - joy - illness affect me physically. In fact, it's also very embarrassing to talk about. It overwhelms.

In order to avoid being overwhelmed, not to take up too much space, not to demand what I am entitled to as a person in this world, I have learned to train myself away from a variety of feelings.

Part of being human and being human is having feelings and having access to them.

Part of colonialism's attempted dehumanization of non-white people is to deny us the right to our feelings.

The implications then, as now, are that we have no right to feelings that stop the dominant culture from continuing to exist.

Tender Fights 2020

Cindy + Me

Marja Christians

Say Hallo :)

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