In her younger years, the stage director, dramaturg and performer Marion Rothhaar had been a successful gymnast – the German women’s champion in rhythmic gymnastics and a member of the 1988 West German Olympic team.

The Other: Me is an autobiographical performance that addresses the female body, its function and its depiction in our performance-driven society from the perspective of her earlier self as a professional athlete and herself today as an artist. The experiences and anecdotes from her East-West German athletic past are interwoven with text about the Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci, who not only became a sports legend, but was also used as a political pawn in the Cold War. Comăneci’s famous quote, “At 45 kilos, I can think better, I’m stronger and more beautiful” perfectly sums up the absurdity of athletic self-castigation.

Following the performance, the audience is invited on stage to view a small exhibition of personal mementos. This French-Luxembourgian production is a German premiere, adapted for presentation at the Kunstfest.

Language: in German and French with translation

A co-production: NEST – CDN cross-border Thionville-Grand Est, Luxembourg National Theater, Danzschoul, Wellenstein and paradise is here – Ticino, Switzerland