by Stefania Bruno, member of the Italian observatory
The final selection of MEDUSA texts required consideration of a wide range of issues. The discussion on what is meant by transnational potential focused on, among other things, how the plays might work together as a whole in the context of the festivals and whether they convey the themes that are central to the MEDUSA project, as well as how they might be received by different audiences. In our view, each text could be a challenge for directors because of its thematic density and dramaturgical structure. Reading them or seeing them performed on stage offer the audience the opportunity to deeply engage with different themes, genres and dramatic styles.
aufstiegskörper. ein fühlversuch (ascending bodies. a felt experiment, 2024) by Lena Riemer is about social mobility in an imaginary society, in which those striving to climb the social ladder attempt to overcome the system’s hurdles by training their bodies and minds for their new lives. What emerged from the discussions between the three committees of the observatory is that social mobility, connected to the themes of youth, stress and burnout, is an important theme in the plays from each country. In this work, the author places the focus on bodies, both as vehicles for social acceptance and for communicating discomfort and suffering.
under the influence. oder: die rückkehr der bakchen (under the influence. or: the return of the bacchae, 2025) by Natalie Baudy is a comedy about dependencies and the search for ecstasy beyond patriarchal structures. Three women from three generations gradually form a closer friendship on the seventh floor of an apartment building when strange plagues suddenly start raining down into their courtyard. While the goddess Dionysa, weary from eternal excess, appeases the chaos, the three women run out of alcohol – and make a radical decision. under the influence is a play about womanhood and solidarity in a post-pandemic world, in which myth, intimacy and dark humour brilliantly intertwine.
СИЛНИ. СМЕЛИ. СТРАХОВИТИ. (Strong. Brave. Fearsome., 2023) by Teodora Georgieva is a play that dissects evil by studying its manifestations, such as aggression and the striving for supremacy. The plot follows the story of three boys searching for themselves in a world of twisted values and absent morals. The boys create their own little world modelled on the real big world. A world in which the ethical code includes power and aggression. The main themes are growth, education and the construction of identity, both as an individual and as part of a community, in a patriarchal society where violence is not an effect, but a language and an ethical dimension.
ДЕБЕЛАКЪТ (Fatass, 2025) by Silva Marinova is a science-fiction play telling the story of a couple who travel to a weight loss clinic based on the Moon in a space capsule. The man (Paul) weighs 240 kg and is a writer. His wife, Em, accompanies him and they interact with relatives, friends and the capsule’s AI. The social and political framework is structured with great precision and combined with an intimate story about relationships, communication, body awareness, grieving and sorrow. How far do you have to go just to be able to face loss?
Notte Bianca (White Night, 2019) by Tatjana Motta addresses the theme of identity through the story of a liminal, undefined, almost unreal city: a place of transit that seems to promise freedom and the possibility of reinventing oneself, but that slowly reveals itself as a space of disorientation. The main focus of the play is migration and the play draws the reader into a kind of labyrinth that reveals society’s fears in relation to migration: the fragility of our social, racial and economic identity, the risk of getting lost when we face diversity.
Sesso (Sex, 2024) by Alessandro Paschitto is a comedy that explores the human condition of being “sexed” and therefore inevitably trapped within the networks of language and relational conflict. Existence is portrayed as a continuous, inevitable “tug-of-war” with the world and the other. The fragmentary style and the focus on language as the field of ideological conflicts in a patriarchal society are connected to the theme of the fragmentation of identity when we consider it a social construct based on prejudices about gender.
One of MEDUSA’s aims is to establish a process of dialogue between theatre and society by encouraging the spread of new voices and increasing European awareness about the topic of identity. Of course, our selection cannot give final answers about the great issues of European society, however, we aim to highlight how drama is a medium that is uniquely suited to helping us face our fears, increase awareness and empathy, inspire discussion and instigate the process of transmitting knowledge. We are very excited to present the selected works to the public and to continue on our journey with MEDUSA.