Schwestern^3

An adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters

Schwestern³ creates an intimate, almost storybook-like domestic world in which the individual stories, fears and desires of three sisters gradually unfold. Comfortable, familiar costumes and the atmosphere of a shared kitchen table establish a sense of home and closeness that increasingly contrasts with the emotional tensions beneath the surface.

At the centre of the stage design is a large picture frame suspended from all four corners by an individually adjustable pulley system. Throughout the performance, its position continuously changes: it can almost disappear into the floor, frame the three sisters like a family portrait, surround them like a wall or hover threateningly above their heads. A familiar domestic image thereby shifts between belonging, confinement and instability as the perspectives of the sisters emerge.

The production was created for the narrow interior of a riverboat, with a performance space only around three metres wide and no possibility of fixing elements directly into the structure of the ship. Magnets and suspended elements allowed the design to work with these limitations while preserving a transformable and uncluttered performance space.

Stage, costume and lighting were developed collectively by Faveola Kett, Huang Mengqi and Matthias Kowall in close collaboration with director Lucia Reichard.