Program
HAGBOUND
HAGBOUND is an interdisciplinary concert project by Leipzig Underground Opera (LUO) that explores age discrimination against women and people perceived as female, as well as societal representations of women*. At its centre are singers Madeline Cain (37), Lissa Meybohm (38) and Jeanette Favaro-Reuter (78), who, together with the audience, reinterpret the figure of the “Hag” – a culturally devalued image of an older woman – in new ways. Through singing, improvisation, dance and spoken word, they weave folklore together with their own biographies and different perspectives on femininity and age. The concept is based on poetry, original compositions, interview material from the performers’ social environment, as well as folk songs from English-, Finnish- and German-speaking regions. A particular focus is placed on the artistic exploration of the social invisibility of older women*, as well as the different stages of ageing in a female body.
The format is characterised by close audience participation and musical improvisations based on prompts arising from conversation. Thematically, the concert draws on the life stages of the “Maiden, Mother & Crone” (girl, mother & old woman), but without assigning fixed roles to the performers, instead aiming to challenge stereotypical notions of women and ageing.
Production and Artistic Direction: Madeline Cain and Lissa Meybohm
Performance: Madeline Cain, Lissa Meybohm and Jeanette Favaro-Reuter
Composition: Madeline Cain and Lissa Meybohm
Texts: Madeline Cain, Lissa Meybohm and Jeanette Favaro-Reuter
Idea & Concept: Lissa Meybohm
A production by Leipzig Underground Opera (LUO) in cooperation with Schaubühne Lindenfels. Funded by the City of Leipzig.
