12.05.25 – 13.05.25, RETROGRADE, drama project by Lena Dirckx, Mischa Pakravesh and Marte Lambaerts

RETROGRADE returns to the place where the image of femininity was born and discovers that it is mud, not a rib. From here, the search begins for what the word femininity carries within it and how it resonates in our own bodies. In search of roots, three players dig into texts from long ago where male voices form female bodies. They allow themselves to be flooded by advertising images and pop songs while trying to peel away the layers of illusion. What makes them identify as women? How do Shakespeare and Britney Spears influence their womanhood? What if Salome dances only for herself? The space reflects their search and invites the audience to compose their own story. 

Credits

• by and with: Lena Dirckx, Mischa Pakravesh and Marte Lambaerts
• performing work: Lena Dirckx; Mischa Pakravesh and Marte Lambaerts
• sound: Mischa Pakravesh
• texts by Shakespeare, Euripides, Maeterlinck, Oscar Wilde, Lena Dirckx and Marte Lambaerts
• poster: Marte Lambaerts with image by Helena Bruynooghe
• costumes: Marte Lambaerts and her grandmother
• with thanks to: Bardia Mohammad, Bauke Lievens, Mieja Hollevoet, Simon De Winne, Carolina Maciel de França, Liene Aerts, Thomas Peeters and Bérengère Bodin