Night of the Tribades

The year 1889. One night at Copenhagen's Dagmar Theatre. August Strindberg, the most famous misogynist in the history of world literature, is trying to stage his new play.

After previous failures and scandals, he has only one option: to cast his wife Siri von Essen, with whom he is in divorce proceedings, and her mistress Maria David in the lead roles. The attempt at a functional theatre rehearsal and constructive dialogue runs into waves of endless reproach. The permanent threat of mental breakdown alternates the declaration of masculinity and strength. Is there a monster before us, or a man worthy of compassion?

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The table burns, the backdrops burn, the words burn, my skin burns, the night burns and the morning burns. Time burns, every second burns. So let's dance! The vitality of the apocalypse. Infernal hilarity. The vivacity of corpses. Unsurpassed inclinations to alchemy.

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The mysticism of the same phrases. How often do they become incantations? Cyclical patriarchy. Magical conservatism as an effort to have yourself and the world fully in control. It is as if, through the fault of supernatural forces, the global debate refuses to move on. Are we experiencing the impossibility of the new? How do you imagine hell?

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The last production of Ivan Buraj in the role of artistic director of HaDivadlo. A parodically mystical slapstick with elements of a conspiracy about a contemporary (insurmountable?) the impact of progressive and conservative discourse. Enquist's text is supplemented by quotes from leading Italian feminist Carla Lonzi's book Calmly Go, in which she released transcripts of interviews with her partner Pietro Consagra in 1980 at the end of their 15-year relationship. Meditation on stupid infinity. The ritual of awkwardness. Paranoid realism. A hell in which we will say the same thing every day. Attempt at transcendence and farewell.