
Vassa Zheleznova (Wassa Schelesnowa)
by Maxim Gorki
"Honour and kindness! …When it comes to business, those two are like sand in gears... Nobody needs kindness, nobody! Pay me what I'm worth, nothing more..."
Vassa Zheleznova runs her family’s ailing business with a shrewd mind and a strong hand, in an attempt to preserve the family’s refined materialistic inclinations. Although her incapable or simply unhappy children use up much of her energy, they remain immensely important to her. Vassa hushes things up, lies and fights to the very last drop of her blood in the hopes of succeeding in her seemingly impossible task. She commits devious misdeeds, justifying all of her actions through her responsibility as a mother – an extraordinary line of arguement even by the standards of the time.
Maxim Gorki’s “Vassa Zheleznova”, a portrayal of ruthless exploiter in a failing capitalistic society, was written in 1910 as a reaction to the failed first Russian Revolution. Vassa is an animalistic mother figure that simultaneously terrifies and fascinates, and is evidence of capitalism’s ability to deform human experience, and to result in emptiness, coldness and violence.
Vassa Zheleznova runs her family’s ailing business with a shrewd mind and a strong hand, in an attempt to preserve the family’s refined materialistic inclinations. Although her incapable or simply unhappy children use up much of her energy, they remain immensely important to her. Vassa hushes things up, lies and fights to the very last drop of her blood in the hopes of succeeding in her seemingly impossible task. She commits devious misdeeds, justifying all of her actions through her responsibility as a mother – an extraordinary line of arguement even by the standards of the time.
Maxim Gorki’s “Vassa Zheleznova”, a portrayal of ruthless exploiter in a failing capitalistic society, was written in 1910 as a reaction to the failed first Russian Revolution. Vassa is an animalistic mother figure that simultaneously terrifies and fascinates, and is evidence of capitalism’s ability to deform human experience, and to result in emptiness, coldness and violence.
Director Stephan Kimmig
Set Katja Haß
Costumes Anja Rabes
Music Michael Verhovec
Dramaturgy Sonja Anders
Premiere May 16, 2014
Corinna HarfouchWassa Schelesnowa

Franziska MachensAnna, her daughter

Christoph FrankenSemjon, her son

Alexander KhuonPawel, her son

Lisa HrdinaNatalja, Semjon's wife

Katharina Marie SchubertLjudmilla, Pawel's wife and Michailo Wassilijew's daughter

Michael GoldbergProchor, brother of Wassa's husband Sachar

Bernd StempelMichailo Wassilijew, executive director

Marcel KohlerAlexander, Wassa's assistent

Wassa Schelesnowa
Anna, her daughter
Semjon, her son
Pawel, her son
Natalja, Semjon's wife
Ljudmilla, Pawel's wife and Michailo Wassilijew's daughter
Prochor, brother of Wassa's husband Sachar
Michailo Wassilijew, executive director
Alexander, Wassa's assistent