Anna, Mascha und Julia

This production sees the liberation of various female characters from Anton Chekhov’s work: the women alongside men called Platonov, Ivanov and Trigorin who never fully step into the spotlight themselves. Here, they encounter each other anew on stage and express their individual longings and fears: ANNA, NINA, JULIA, MASHA, IRINA, OLGA, THE LADY. The men have not entirely disappeared, but the perspective on the mechanisms of the societies described by Chekhov has shifted: failure, the conflict between intimacy and freedom, the question of how much scope there is for action were it not for social norms, class and gender roles.

In this devised musical theatre piece, the third-year drama students of the Otto Falckenberg School relate to the characters and reflect on contemporary life through their eyes. What does it mean today to be too weak to live the life you dream of? What are the dependencies in romantic relationships, and how do you manage to leave?

Lizzy Timmers is a performer and director and was co-artistic director of the Theaterhaus Jena until 2024. Her collective working method succeeds in drawing out the individual interests and abilities of the actors to combine them into a humorous and engaging dramatic journey.

“It’s terrible to be an educated woman. An educated woman with nothing to do. What am I here for? Why am I alive?”

– Anna Petrovna in “Platonov”