Mandragora

7. February 2023
Stuttgart
Imaginale Festival

„One day this kid will find something in his mind and body and soul
that makes him hungry. (…) One day this kid will do something
that causes men (…) to call for his death.“
– Untitled (One Day This Kid…) by David Wojnarowicz

The mandragora (common mandrake) is a poisonous medicinal plant from the nightshade family which has a history of ritual use. Because of its root’s special shape, which resembles the human figure, magical properties have been attributed to it.
This staging is based on an exploration of discrimination, experiences of violence and othering of homosexuals. For Mandragora, Jan Jedenak is working for the first time with the renowned “King of Physical Theater” (The Scotsman Newspaper) Al Seed from Scotland. In this work Jedenak expands the aesthetic means and narrative methods of puppet theater through body and movement techniques of physical theater.