Emma Hütt is a winner of the TR Debut Award and a student at the Institute of Applied Theatre Studies in Giessen. The young director from Berlin takes The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan and creates her own myth, uncovering something that is only seemingly archaic: a medieval testimony to feminist self-will.

Christine de Pizan wrote The Book of the City of Ladies in 1405 and was the first to challenge with such power the image of the world constructed and dominated by men. She was the first to give women a herstory by deconstructing stereotypes about them and drawing on examples of historical figures. She called for the creation of a fictional, utopian city, building it with a language and tools to fight for women’s self-determination.

Federico Fellini used this material in his 1980 film City of Women, which he transformed into a masculine projection. The feminine eluded him exactly where he tried to approach it. Through a masculine, lust-filled gaze, Fellini distorted the image of the 1970s feminist movement and consciously distanced himself from the source material.

In the play, Emma Hütt and her ensemble bring the figure of de Pizan to life. She sits at home and imagines three goddesses showing her the way to a world that does not seek to destroy others. The authoress imagines building a stronghold where women shall be safe. Who can build such a place and for whom? How can we avoid the same trap as the patriarchy falls into? Should we wait for the next revolution? Should we seek pleasure in trying to survive? Should we retreat or should we fight? We wish to examine what else we want to and can tell.

Emma Hütt is radical in her analysis of the material based on fictional, philosophical, biographical, and historic tropes as she interweaves them with biblical and pop culture references.