Lysistrata macht Urlaub (Lysistrata on holiday)

On a Greek island, Lysistrata seeks refuge from a society based on violence. But her time out is abruptly interrupted when her father turns up and expresses his surprise that it is here, of all places, that his daughter feels the desire to become a mother. Based on Aristophanes' comedy, Ukrainian author and director Oleksandr Seredin raises existential questions: are we at the mercy of the legacy of the past, or is there a way to break the cycle of violence?

«The idea of the ancient Greek comedy of Aristophanes in which Lysistrata is trying to stop the world war, is in my play transformed into the theme of flight from war with a premonition of a previously lost battle. Lysistrata no longer uses sex as a weapon. She is tired of the war and is relaxing on an island where sex is a favorite pastime for people like her. Her father disturbs her peace. A tyrant and manipulator, he is either trying to start a small war against his own daughter, or provoking the heroine of an ancient play to come face to face with a big war. War in ‹Lysistrata on Vacation› does not have a clear embodiment. This is a conflict within an individual family, and a manifesto against sex and birth, and a terrible bloody sea that surrounded a tiny Greek island on all sides. The story of the conflict between two close people, consisting of endless manipulations and lies, is surrounded by such a number of absurd, funny and illogical stories that it gradually loses touch with reality, turning into the myth of Lysistrata, who tried to stop the war and eventually became a belligerent.» - Oleksandr Seredin

The premiere of «Lysistrata on holiday» took place as part of WELT/BÜHNE - THE FESTIVAL.

WELT/BÜHNE - THE FESTIVAL is organised in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and with the support of the Friends* of the Residenztheater and a private foundation.