Die Sprache des Wassers
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

Die Sprache des Wassers

Sarah Crossan

For children 10 years and older

Bühnenfassung von Anna Lukasser-Weitlaner nach dem gleichnamigen Roman

Premiere: 17. Jänner 2024 / Probenzentrum Aigen

Synopsis

In the water, everything seems lighter. In the water, the world stands still for a brief moment. In the water, thoughts come to a halt, the thoughts that usually swirl like a whirlpool, pulling Kasienka into an endless sadness and draining her of all strength. Because when Kasienka swims, she can finally switch off and forget. Forget that she recently moved from Poland to England with just one suitcase and an old laundry bag. Forget that her father left her for a better life. Forget that her new classmates treat her with contemptuous glances. Forget that she doesn't speak the language well enough and simply feels infinitely foreign in this new home. Only when she resurfaces does she find herself again in a small one-room apartment, exhausted from the evening journeys through the city, searching for her father, who doesn't want to be found because he has already started a new family. Kasienka has known this for a long time, but her mother cannot and will not accept the bitter truth. When Kasienka joins the swim team and meets William, a wave of happiness seems to wash over her.

Sarah Crossan tells a very poetic story about the feeling of alienation and identity loss, but also about how Kasienka finds her own way to adapt to the new situation while remaining true to herself.