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6:30 PM

Motheranimal by Leo Lorena Wyss

Theatre|North American premiere

  • Goethe-Institut New York, New York, NY

  • English
  • Free
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motheranimal square © VTC

Motheranimal © VTC

The Goethe-Institut New York and Voyage Theater Company present the North American premiere of Leo Lorena Wyss' Motheranimal (Muttertier) within the Parts Unknown play reading series.

Three siblings, one hospital room, and a lifetime of fish sticks and make-believe. For years, they have weathered their mother’s absence by reenacting Titanic—a cinematic echo of their own sinking home. But as they gather at her bedside once more, the games can no longer mask the truth. In this haunting exploration of role-reversal, the children who raised themselves must finally confront the legacy of a mother who struggled to stay afloat.

Muttertier premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on October 2, 2024, directed by Mia Constantine. It was awarded the Retzhofer Drama Prize in 2023 under the title wie von mutterhand.

Motheranimal (Muttertier), 2024, by Leo Lorena Wyss
North American Premiere
Translated by Neil Blackadder
Directed by Valentina Fratti
Production Stage Manager: Keri Landeiro
Production Designer: Susan Shaw
Sound Designer: Luke Hofmaier

Biographies

  • Leo Lorena Wyss (they/them), who grew up in Baden-Württemberg, works as an author and is also involved in political education. After studying cultural studies and aesthetic practice in Hildesheim and Madrid, Wyss is currently studying language arts at the University of Applied Arts. Wyss' work has received various awards and scholarships. Most recently, Leo Lorena Wyss received the Author's Prize at the 40th Heidelberg Play Market for the play Blaupause, as well as the Retzhofer Drama Prize 2023 and the Nestroy Prize in the category “Best Newcomer” for the play Muttertier. In the 2024/2025 season, Wyss was resident author at the National Theater Mannheim.

  • Neil Blackadder translates drama and prose from German and French. His translations of plays by Lukas Bärfuss, Ewald Palmetshofer, Rebekka Kricheldorf, and Mishka Lavigne have been produced in London, New York, Chicago, and other cities. His translations have been published in many journals and books and he has received grants from the NEA, PEN, and the Howard Foundation. In 2023, Neil served as Translator in Residence at Princeton University. His translation of Anne Weber’s non-fiction book Sanderling will be published in the US in February.

  • Valentina Fratti has been developing and directing new plays for over three decades. Directing credits include: the premiere of Rebecca Gilman’s A Woman of the World with Kathleen Chalfant (59e59); Adam Seidel’s Williston; They Promised Her the Moon by Laurel Ollstein. Other credits include: the NYTimes' Critics Pick, Catch the Butcher by Adam Seidel (Cherry Lane Theatre); Snow Orchid; R.U.R. ; Jeff Daniels’ Apartment 3A. She was co-founder and Artistic Director with the Miranda Theatre Company, a not for profit theatre company dedicated to developing and producing original work. Directing credits for Miranda Theater Company include The Book of Wren, Innocent Thoughts, Prostitutki and Near Normal. During the pandemic she directed Virtue, a film by Emily Bohannon, featuring Margaret Colin, Tony nominated Joshua Henry, and Paten Hughes. Valentina taught directing at the New School from 1999 to 2018. Proud member of SDC.

  • Keri Landeiro's past credits with Voyage Theater Company include: 5,000 Steps to Peace and Justice, Don’t Look Back!, The Mecca Tales and The Vast Mystery of Who You Are - Part I as SM. Other credits include: Queensboro Dance Festival (2017/2018 seasons), This is Our Youth (Convergent Theatre Co.), FriendAndy.com (Forward Flux), and various productions with Haberdasher Theater Company (member 2006-2013); AMDA Alum and Proud AEA member.

  • Susan Shaw is a 2010 recipient of a Wexner Center Art & Technology residency, and a Puffin Foundation grantee for Videos on Broadway. She has received two New York State Artist’s Fellowships and the Kaleidoscope Award from the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Shaw was a 2013 and 2007 recipient of a Vermont Studio Center residency. Public collections include: The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum, The International Museum of Photography and the The Israel Museum. Exhibition venues include: MoMA P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center; The International Center of Photography; Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art. Shaw is a member of Dieu Donné papermill, the Center for Book Arts, the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, and the New York Artist’s Circle.

  • Luke Hofmaier is a theater-maker from New York City, and recently earned his MFA Degree for Acting at Columbia University. Luke most recently appeared in Austin Pendleton's production of Orson's Shadow at Theater for the New City. He has designed sound for After The Revolution by Amy Herzog at the Morningside Players Theater Company.

  • Voyage Theater Company presents new and unheralded plays and playwrights from around the world, creating opportunities for collaboration between theater-makers of diverse cultures and disciplines. We serve our local community in New York City through professional productions, staged readings, internships, and free or discounted tickets for students and seniors. We present plays in multiple languages and in translation and work in partnership with other nonprofit organizations to broaden perspectives and build greater cultural equity across communities.

Related links

Voyage Theater Company