2022
The Welkin
Lucy Kirkwood, The Welkin
German translation by Corinna Brocher
In March 1759, a convicted murderer fights for her life in a small village on the east coast of England. Sally Poppy is accused by her husband of murdering a girl with her lover. When her death sentence is announced, she claims to be pregnant — in which case the execution would have to be suspended. Twelve women from the village, who have already given birth to at least one child, are appointed as a “matron jury” to determine or rule out the pregnancy. In a legal system that is alien and hostile to them, the women reluctantly and involuntarily search for the truth, while a mob rages outside that wants to see Sally Poppy hang.
Another event concerns the villagers: the appearance of a bright comet approaching Earth at intervals of 74 to 79 years. All eyes turn to the sky in anticipation – and away from the female body, which is the site of investigation and a battlefield between right and wrong. British playwright Lucy Kirkwood has written a compelling, precise court drama for an almost exclusively female ensemble. Her historical plot is scattered with current references, connecting the two periods. “It is about how democracy works, what it means to cast a vote, and how to gain agency within existing structures” (Lucy Kirkwood).
Director Jette Steckel
Stage Florian Lösche
Costumes Andrea Schraad
Music Mark Badur
Choreography Dominika Knapik
Dramaturgy Anika Steinhoff
Lighting Matthias Vogel
Choir Direction Benedikt Reidenbach
Bonnet electronics Johann Wucherpfennig
Photos Arno Declair
German premiere: 12 November 2022
Cast:
Kathleen Morgeneyer – Sally Poppy, the murderer
Maren Egger – Elizabeth Luke, the midwife
Leila Abdullah – Judith Bewer, the jury of mothers
Lena Bruckner – Peg Carter, the jury of mothers
Karin Neuhauser – Charlotte Cary, the jury of mothers
Elli Treptow – Kitty Givens, the jury of mothers
Almuta Zilcher – Sarah Hollis, the jury of mothers
Birgit Unterweger – Emma Jenkins, the jury of mothers
Linda Poppel – Ann Lavender, the jury of mothers
Anja Schneider – Helen Ludlow, the jury of mothers
Birte Schnöink – Mary Middleton, the jury of mothers
Dominika Knapik – Hannah Rusted, the jury of mothers
Urszula Werner – Sarah Smith, the jury of mothers
Manuel Hardera – Mr. Coombs, Bailiff
Enno Trebs – Frederick Poppy, the husband / Mr. Willis, the doctor
Livia Mello Wagner, Ylvie Wolff – Katy Luke, daughter of the midwife
