A Meditation on ‘The Woman in the Dunes’

The piece is based on the story described in The Woman in the Dunes, a novel by the Japanese author Kōbō Abe. The magical space of interaction between the book’s characters provided the inspiration for this adaptation. The story is written in sand, expressed in the languages of the body, movement and gesture. It is focused on the story of a bond between a woman and a man, but goes beyond a storyline. It is an experience that goes beyond logic and relationship – unique, intimate. Welcome to My House: A Meditation on ‘The Woman in the Dunes’ aims to transport its audiences to a moment outside of time, to the idea that we only have access to the space of the here and now. Subtle interactions, presented in a stage setting inspired by Shōji Ueda’s photographs, depict an emotional landscape too. At what exact moment a bond is born? What is the nature of the human need for closeness?

Director and lighting designer Przemysław Błaszczak
Performers Karolina Brzęk, Tomáš Wortner
Dramaturge Anna Duda
Music Damian Borowiec
Premiered on 18 September 2016
Running time 60 minutes
Age +18

The piece was created with support from the Grotowski Institute and from members of the Two Paths Studio, and courtesy of Teatr Brama, Goleniów, which hosted the artists’ residency and the premiere of their piece during the Bramat theatre festival in Goleniów in September 2016.