As part of her dissertation, Ackerl Konstantin asked 26 fellow actors what the situation is like for women in the theater and what needs to change. In the play “Let’s perform” the women do not recognize themselves in their theater roles and rebel against classic girl roles in which they have to be nice, nice or naive.
New stage in Villach: “Let’s lead us up”
Women also restricted in contemporary plays
Ackerl Konstantin said about her project: “On the one hand, I think it’s very important that there are other roles, there aren’t enough of these roles. Then there is also the belief that this is only the case in the classics. This is dangerous. Because even in contemporary plays, such as those by Glattauer, Kehlmann and others, the female roles are just as limited.”
Ackerl Konstantin criticized that this is still the way work is done at drama schools: “There it goes: don’t go in your private posture, now go like a woman. Hi? this is madness.”
Don’t exclude women from history
“Let’s perform” is very critical theatre. Ackerl Konstantin is interested in a diverse theater that tells new stories that reflect society: “Society is diversity and I want to see that in the theater as well. Because otherwise – as is also the case in the play – I will be excluded from the story.”
For a fair, honest and open theater
As an actress, Paola Neugebauer faces a special challenge: The play is also about her experiences. She wants a different theater. “I want fair, honest and open theater so that I feel like I can always go to everyone and be honest without fear of saying something wrong.”
Ackerl Konstantin’s very important play is an uncompromising look behind the scenes of the theater that was long overdue.