Faith, Resistance, Femininity

On July 17, 1794, sixteen women in Paris walk together to their deaths. It is an act of sisterhood amid calls for brotherhood and a sign of resistance: this community of women fights to the bitter end for their faith, values, and convictions. French composer Francis Poulenc transformed the story of the Carmelite nuns of Compiègne into one of the most exciting operas of the 20th century. In her new production at the Stuttgart State Opera, director Ewelina Marciniak now takes it as an opportunity for a major reflection on female solidarity and the longing for community beyond temporal locations and questions of faith.
With the introductory matinee to Dialogues des Carmélites, we are guests at the Literaturhaus this time and are presenting a particularly extensive program in an “extended version.” As usual, the panel discussion with director Ewelina Marciniak and general music director Cornelius Meister offers exciting insights into the work and its scenic and musical conception – and, of course, music from the opera will also be featured, sung and played by members of the production.
Afterwards, a journalist and author and a nun address the issues raised from very different perspectives: Sister Nicola Maria from the Order of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul talks about her life in the service of faith and the freedom she feels within the community. In conversation with feminist author Rebekka Endler, whose latest book Witches, Bitches, It Girls caused quite a stir, the focus is on the socio-political issues surrounding the staging: Which role did women play in the French Revolution, and why did women’s rights activist Olympe de Gouges remain in the shadows of history for so long? How is it that women’s associations still struggle with an image problem today, and why are nuns currently popping up everywhere in the pop world?