The Second Woman

Theatre: The Second Woman

Wed 28. to Thu 29.05., from 18h for 24hrs, 15 minute intermission every 2 hrs, Halle E, Wiener Festwochen 2025

For 24 hours, actress Pia Hierzegger will play the same scene. A hundred times she will be facing a new, unfamiliar partner: a man or non-binary person from Vienna. The scene takes ten minutes each time and shows a woman and her partner in a relationship that has lost its vitality and romance. Each iteration begins the same way: a person enters the small living room, carrying a bag of fast food. We know as little about him/them as the performer. For their play "The Second Woman", the Australian directors Nat Randall and Anna Breckon were inspired by 1970s US independent cinema and the genre of "female melodramas", a genre that features stereotypical depictions of women. By contrast, every scene on the stage, every encounter – whether gentle, oppressive, funny or terrifying – is a unique experience. It is up to you how long you want to stay and watch; experience has shown that "The Second Woman" is addictive.

In German.