By and with: Sebastian Bark, Johanna Freiburg, Fanni Halmburger, Lisa Lucassen, Mieke Matzke, Ilia Papatheodorou, Berit Stumpf / Music: Santiago Blaum / Costumes assistance: Lili Hillerich and Mads Dinesen / Precision mechanics camera control: ThiloGödel /Embedded Software Ingenieur / Embedded Software Ingenieur / Camera Control: Grzegorz Zajac / Internship: Carolin Bodensteiner and Rodrigo Cavalcanti / English simultaneous translation: PANTHEA / / Special thanks to: Veronica Dyas (Dublin), Eva von Redecker (Berlin), Takako Shibata (Tokyo) / Video: Benjamin Krieg / Bühne: Sandra Fox / Kostüme: Lea Søvsø / Künstlerische und dramaturgische Mitarbeit: Laia Ribera Cañénguez / Sounddesign: Manuel Horstmann / Licht: Michael Lentner, Andreas Kröher / Technische Leitung: Sven Nichterlein / Assistenz Video: Daniela Garcia del Pomar, Fine Freiberg / Produktionsleitung: Valeria Germain / PR, Kommunikation: ehrliche arbeit – freies Kulturbüro / Freie Mitarbeit Kommunikation: Tina Ebert / Finanzadministration: Aminata Oelßner / Company-Management: Elke Weber
She She Pop
Hexploitation
- Theatre
German /
approx. 75 mins.
In “Hexploitation,” She She Pop – now all around 50 years old – confront the fear of ageing and the myth of the witch. In a dark and kitschy film set, they explore the social invisibility of older women with live camera and plenty of humour. A captivating game of disgust, lust and liberation – courageous, disturbing and full of energy!
In 1962 the film “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” was released into the cinemas. The psycho-horror thriller about two ageing female movie stars was a surprising hit and kicked off a whole new film genre known as the ‘psycho biddy’ or ‘hagsploitation’ movie. The film diva steps in front of the mirror in a studied pose, sees her aged face - a distorted version of how she sees herself – and lets out into a blood-curdling scream. This has become an iconic image.
This year, the members of She She Pop will all be about 50. And so, they explore society’s fear of the ‘hag’ - the old woman and witch – in their new production Hexploitation. Naturally, they will be using their ageing bodies for this purpose: to fight against the invisibility and loss of status that women face in society when they are no longer of childbearing age. To this day, the term ‘witch’ is used to belittle or reduce women. The witch - an anarchic, heretical woman - stands for sexuality beyond reproduction and subversive behaviour towards power structures and authorities.
In “Hexploitation”, She She Pop lock themselves and the audience in a mise en scène reminiscent of a low-lit, kitschy film set from which there is no escape. A live camera serves as a magnifying glass and intimate examining tool. With its help, the She She Pop team, in the guise of ageing psycho biddies, go in search of taboos and explore their own disturbing imperfections and obsessions. They also discover the camera as a magic box through which they can repeatedly transcend their bodies to create liberating self-portraits, coupled with melodramatic disgust and comical lust, reminiscent of Norma Desmond’s memorable line: ‘Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up!’ (Sunset Boulevard, 1950).
Cast
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Dates
- Current
- Past
Notes:
4.+5.4.: German with English live translation
Credits
Production: She She Pop. Co-production: HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Kampnagel Hamburg, Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm, FFT Düsseldorf, Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig, HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste, Kaserne Basel, Festival delle Colline Torinesi/TPE – Teatro Piemonte Europa. Funded by: German Federal Cultural Foundation and by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion.
Location
HAU2
Hallesches Ufer 34, 10963 BerlinThere are two marked parking spots in front of the building. Barrier-free restroom facilities are available. Four relaxed seats are available in the first row of HAU2. Tickets for wheelchair users and accompanying persons can also be booked via the ticketing system. If you need help, please contact our Ticketing & Service team at +49 (0)30 259004-27 or send us an email to
tickets@hebbel-am-ufer.de.
Latest information for arrival:
There is currently a construction site on Hallesches Ufer between Wilhelmstraße and Möckernbrücke underground station. There is a divided replacement route for pedestrians (right) and cyclists (left), which are separated by a yellow ground line. The carriageway is narrowed to one lane.
Travelling to HAU2 via U Hallesches Tor:
If you are coming from Hallesches Tor underground station, you will have to use an alternative footpath from Wilhelmstraße / Hallesches Ufer junction, which is separated from the carriageway by a construction fence – the actual footpath is currently closed. Please note: the alternative route is also used by cyclists. Pedestrians should keep to the right. We therefore currently recommend that visually impaired or blind visitors come to the HAU with an accompanying person.
Arrival HAU2 via U Möckernbrücke:
When you leave Möckernbrücke underground station, please stay on the footpath on the canal side until you reach Hallesches Ufer / Großbeerenstraße junction – the opposite side is currently closed due to construction work.
