Singing to lovers

Medusa, in Greek mythology, was punished for having been raped by one of the Twelve Olympians, Poseidon. No matter how illogical it may seem, that’s the way it happened. In past years, this myth serves various artists worldwide as a means to address sexualized violence as well as violence in partnership relations. Sivan Ben Yishai (*1978), a German-language dramatist of Israeli origin, lays hold of the theme of Medusa in the same manner. Like Lovers Do (Memoirs of Medusa), which dates back to 2021, is an analysis of lover relationships in our time, relationships deformed by past traumas and behavioral patterns  charged with violence and inherited ideas about the struggle between women and men. What do we expect of lover relationships in our age of innocence preceding our teenagehood and out first painful experience? How and why can it later happen that reality does not correspond to what we have imagined and dreamt of? And what if things in the ancient mythical world had turned out differently and what if Medusa had grabbed a knife instead of leaving the temple? Sivan Ben Yishai is the new star in the German-language drama; her plays are regularly staged at the Maxim Gorki Theatre, where she has been employed as playwright and stage director. Yishai’s appealing approach toward drama, combining a great deal of authenticity with artistic refinement, and particularly with her innate effort to express herself straightforwardly, making no bones about the most essential issues in European societies, is a real phenomenon. Aminata Keita’s direction is grounded not only in the text, which is extraordinarily powerful, but also in remarkable music and choreography. The Reduta Theatre will see half a concert, half a stand-up, half a confession, half a revolution.

Czech premiere: October 4^th, 2024 at Reduta Theatre

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