In this workshop, Natasha Borenko (director), Lidiia Golovanova (author/editor) and Beata Anna Schmutz (dramaturgy, lead of the Mannheimer Stadtensemble) share insights into the creative process behind Krieg ist kein Spiel für Frauen (War is not a game for women), a performance that foregrounds women’s experiences of war while critically examining the idea of conflict as strategy or game.
The session focuses on how documentary material and personal testimonies are structured through explicit game-like elements such as rules, roles, turns, and choices. Participants explore how these theatrical “game mechanics” shape the audience’s position: when to identify, when to distance, and when to take responsibility. The workshop reflects on the ethical and dramaturgical implications of using play to address violence, power, and memory, and invites dialogue on how game structures can be used consciously and critically within socially engaged and documentary theatre practices.
Nationaltheater Mannheim | Workshop | Germany