D A W N
a musical on reproduction
Premiered 25th & 26th September 2021, Heizhaus Berlin as part of Coming of age festival at Sophiensaele.
In an autofictional musical, Sheena McGrandles interweaves personal experiences with myths and narrations from ancient and contemporary times, in order to speculate about our possible futures and the role of reproduction. Together with a temporary collective of Berlin artists, DAWNexplores different perspectives on parenthood and the power of the child as a symbol of hope. Where does the human need to create a family come from? Which bodies may and can reproduce, how and where? What wishes do we project onto a child who, as part of a new generation, could permanently change our current society with its classic family constructs and role distributions? Four bodies on the edge of fertility enter into a dialogue with Dawn, a Goddess with rosy fingers, that opens the gates of heaven for the Sun-God to rise. At sundown, this Goddess dies, only to be reborn again the next morning. Together with a small choir of childless people, they create an experimental musical that combines concert, spoken word and performance into a multi-layered and humorous artistic work. |
Concept: Sheena McGrandles | By and with: Sheena McGrandles, Moss Beynon Juckes, Claire Vivianne Sobottke, Colin Self, Stellan Veloce & Marta Forsberg | Choir direction: Colin Self I Choir: Olympia Bukkakis, Marek Polgesek, Emeka Ene, Valerie Renay | Co-Concept, Dramaturgy: Mila Pavicevic | Lighting Design, Technical Director: Annegret Schalke | Set & Costumes: Michiel Keuper, Martin Sieweke | Production: ehrliche Arbeit – freelance office for culture
A Sheena McGrandles production, in cooperation with ehrliche arbeit – freelance office for culture and Sophiensaele. Funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds and the City of Berlin – Department for Culture and Europe – Mobility Fund „Draussenstadt“. Supported by the PSR Collective, Uferstudios and Tanzfabrik. |