Wasser (2024, by Anna Gschnitzer)

On the occasion of her newborn daughter's baptism, Jana gathers her family around a festively set table at a location by the water. Her sister Kris, who is both a close confidante and a contentious counterpart in terms of temperament and worldview, is also present. Both sisters, like most of their family members, are survivors of domestic violence. However, they each cope with their shared history of violence in vastly different ways. Given the past wounds and present tensions, it is hardly surprising that the fragile family peace doesn’t even last until the first course.

In moments where memory and present collide like a thunderclap, the evening also delicately reveals the inner worlds of each character, immersing us in their anger, fears, and hopes. More importantly, it opens a space to explore the contradictions within them. In Water, Anna Gschnitzer asks what structures enable violence and at what points we ourselves unknowingly become part of these structures. How can we find a common language when transgenerational trauma continues to perpetuate itself, and the lines between victims and perpetrators remain deeply rooted in family dynamics? What waters must we enter to make a fresh start?

2024 das Stückemarktprojekt mit szenischen Lesungen, Goethe-Institut China