Einzelansicht
  Special Event

The ManiACTs present: TOP GIRLS

Theateraufführung der Theatergruppe am Englischen Seminar der Universität Freiburg

A dinner party with six historical women. An office full of boss bitches. A working-class home. Different worlds collide in Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls – a postmodern and strikingly fragmented play. But, between the shatters of this fragmentation we find real women, with complicated relationships to one another and their pasts. What will it take to thrive in this system of oppression and competition? What obstacles stand in the way of a woman’s success? And can you still be a good person after everything you’ve done?

With a full female cast, Top Girls brings different women together, each with their own dreams, aspirations, and frustrations. They each come from different centuries and various corners of the world. However, there is a common thread that runs through their lives: they have all experienced oppression and its consequences.

Marlene, an ambitious woman that resonates with the figure of Margaret Thatcher, becomes the unifying link between the unpredictable scenes that mix historical and fictional characters with women from the 70s. One might think that Marlene, an independent woman from the 20th century, represents the new woman, one that bravely defies the tyrannical expectations of her gender. Yet, to grasp power and to overcome the restrictions of being a woman in a patriarchal society, she assumes the traits of successful men. She is ruthless, independent, decisive and detached. Born into poverty, Marlene is willing to do whatever it takes to thrive in this system. Nothing will stand in her way, not even family. But at what cost does success come?
Top Girls engages with the political liberalism of the Thatcher years, which is still very much perceptible in the winner-takes-all, neoliberal politics of today – it’s every woman for herself. Or is there a “we”? Women are still forced to decide whether to have a career or a family, since having both requires endless strength and sacrifice. In the end, the play does not give us any straight answers. However, it does present an opportunity for deeper discussions about feminism, about how far we have come, and where we strive to go.

If you want more introduction to Top Girls, book tickets for February 12th and come at 6.30 pm – Prof. Stefanie Lethbridge from the English Department will give an talk about the play.

Further shows: February 12, 7 pm
Admission: 8 € / 6 € (reduced)
Tickets: Buchhandlung Ludwig
Ticket reservations: tickets[at]maniacts.de


If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the maniACTs directly: info[at]maniacts.de

Veranstalter:
The ManiACTs, The English Department Drama Group
Veranstaltungsort:
Theatersaal Alte Universität, Bertoldstr. 17
Beginn:
Sa, 11.Feb.2023 um 19:00