Maria

In the organizer's words:

Maria, called Ria, is having her first child. She has to give birth without the support of her family - even her grandmother, with whom she lives, hates hospitals, and Ria doesn't know exactly who the baby is from. One immediately thinks: social neglect. But Ria doesn't fit the picture. Almost undaunted, with great curiosity and a paradoxical mixture of attentiveness and distance, she walks through the streets of her city, observes her surroundings and watches documentaries on YouTube with fascination. When she realizes that she is not the only one on her own, she quits her low-paid job at the gym and from now on sells closeness on the internet via webcam from home, explicitly without sex - a functioning business model in a society that seems to consist mainly of scattered individuals.

Faith, love and hope are Ria's driving forces, whether in the harsh reality or in virtual space, and the portrait of a woman who defies the spirit of the times despite all obstacles is formed out of highlight-like scenes.

Simon Stephens, born in Stockport/South Manchester in 1971, studied history, worked as a bartender, DJ and teacher before turning to writing. He has received numerous awards for his plays and has been voted best foreign playwright of the year several times by the trade magazine Theater heute.

For director Adrian Figueroa, MARIA is already his second encounter with one of the author's works: in 2023, he staged MORNING at the Junges SchauSpielHaus Hamburg.