ABC, ein Spiel ohne Scherz (2024)
an intergenerational live performance by MATERNAL FANTASIES
What if motherhood(s) were reimagined beyond traditional boundaries?
ABC - ein Spiel ohne Scherz, live performance by MATERNAL FANTASIES, Uferstudios, Berlin 2024
trailer edited by Isabell Spengler
ABC – Ein Spiel ohne Scherz (2024)
In ABC – ein Spiel ohne Scherz, MATERNAL FANTASIES stages an intergenerational live performance that expands the idea of caregiving and community. Featuring children, mothers, and a grandmother, the piece draws on feminist perspectives, personal stories, and future visions imagined by the intergenerational participants.
Structured around the alphabet, ten co-created scenes turn selected letters into guiding concepts that unfold playful yet serious reflections on care work, creativity, and collectivity. ABC – ein Spiel ohne Scherz invites audiences of all ages to reevaluate what motherhood means today.
ABC – Ein Spiel ohne Scherz (2024)
a project by:
MATERNAL FANTASIES
Concept and artistic coordination: Maicyra Leão
Stage and Costume, Performance and Score: Hanne Klaas, Isabell Spengler, Magdalena
Kallenberger, Maicyra Leão & Mikala Hyldig Dal
Performance (children): Rasmus, Kayan, Liva, Mie, Morten, Nury, Samuel, Selma, Wim
Dramaturgy: Rodrigo Garcia Alves
Composition and sound design: Constantin John
Preparation for music: Nouras Hanana
Prop Design: Gry Björge
Light design: Mirella Brandi
Lighting assistance: Kathleen Kunath
Graphic design: Manuela & Thiago Eichner
Artistic assistance: Mariana Romagnani
Production: Rania Mavriki/CULTOPIA
Communication: Wayra Schübel – Art Communication
Short videos - Performance: Aino El-Sohl, Lena Chen, Maicyra Leão & Mikala Hyldig Dal
Short videos - Editing: Hanne Klaas
Short videos - Sign language translation: Yomma GmbH
Language: English and German
Duration: 45 minutes
Premier: February 2024, at Uferstudios - Berlin.
Funded by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion - Berlin.
With the support of Uferstudios and Theaterhaus Berlin Mitte.
The project also includes four short videos that complement the live show. These videos invite artists and caregivers from around the world to join in by making their own videos and offering their own perspectives to the topics. The videos are part of an Instagram campaign, open to new participants. That is how they aim to create a diverse and engaging alphabet that transcends borders.
photos by Oscar Barbosa and Chrysanthi Ha for MATERNAL FANTASIES