"This awkward moment between birth and death"
a collective reflection on the topic of aging,
with playback theater performance
September, 28 at 19:00-23:00
(+after party until 01:00)
Penthouse location Stadtmitte
with playback theater performance
September, 28 at 19:00-23:00
(+after party until 01:00)
Penthouse location Stadtmitte
Hello, dear friends!
My name is Natasha, I'm turning 30 soon, and I want to reflect with my friends on aging. We offer a co-created experience with exercises, movement laboratory, connective sharings and a playback performance (performed by a trained playback practitioners)
We are all aging — at 20, at 40, at 80. Does the number of age matters for you now? How does your body changes? Do you experience shame, grief connected to those changes? What is unfolding now that you didn’t expect? What hopes and fears do you have, acknowledging that you - and your loved ones - won't physically live forever?
What we gonna do?
I invite you to do embodied exercises together, all connected to the topic of aging. And after that, transition to the play back theatre performance. We will reflect on the experience we had earlier.
We have 2 big parts: first part where everyone is moving and doing the exercises actively (if they want), second part when participants becoming a theatre audience, sit on the chairs or on the floor and watch the performance.
We have 2 big parts: first part where everyone is moving and doing the exercises actively (if they want), second part when participants becoming a theatre audience, sit on the chairs or on the floor and watch the performance.
What is a "playback theatre" ?
Playback Theatre is a social improvisational theatre where any person from the audience can share personal story, and trained actors immediately “play them back” on stage through movement, dialogue, music, metaphors. The purpose is to foster empathy, connection, and healing; reflect individual experiences within a collective context and validate and honour voices that might not often be heard.
(P.S. not everyone, just trained practitioners will be playing)
As an additional concept — we invite everyone to come and celebrate your past birthday — the one you didn’t celebrate earlier for any reason. We’ll prepare postcards for everyone.
I also invite you to come & help with the preparation on September, 26 - we will do a CRAFTERNOON.
I also invite you to come & help with the preparation on September, 26 - we will do a CRAFTERNOON.
Let's co-create! You can contribute to the experience with your art, facilitation, homemade food, ideas - please contact me, I'd be happy to discuss.
all human beings
are united by
birth,
life,
death, and
every emotion
in between
are united by
birth,
life,
death, and
every emotion
in between
Program
19:00-19:20
19:00-19:20
Arrival
19:30-21:00
19:30-21:00
Welcome talk & Exercises
- Movement laboratory
- Welcome talk
- Walking Statistics
- Drawing your timeline and sharing in a small groups
- Writing a letter
21:00-21:30
21:00-21:30
Break & transition
Time for yourself
21:30 - 23:00
21:30 - 23:00
Play back theatre performance “This awkward moment between birth and death”
Creating a stage and sharing the stories with guidance
23:00 - 01:00
23:00 - 01:00
A final ritual and after party
REGISTRATION
Please, register here:
https://forms.gle/9hrxuHVhqgf6xNUB6
You can pay donation.
Recommended donation is between 20€ - 60€
https://forms.gle/9hrxuHVhqgf6xNUB6
You can pay donation.
Recommended donation is between 20€ - 60€
The birthday creature
- Natasha
Hi hi!
This is a link with links about me: https://linktr.ee/Natasha_Kuzmina
And below is a text with reflections about aging:
This is a link with links about me: https://linktr.ee/Natasha_Kuzmina
And below is a text with reflections about aging:
I AGE
At what point do we stop growing up and start growing old?
I like that in the phrase “I AGE” there’s no sense of rising or fading — just the fact of changing age.
I’ve started noticing how my body changes. Not gradually — like in my twenties — but suddenly.
At 29, I wasn’t prepared to hear my knee crack when getting out of bed. Whatever you go to the doctor with — the universal prescription is: “air out the room and drink more water.”
When I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager, I learned at school about the changes my body would soon go through — and I felt prepared. But no one ever told me that around thirty and beyond, wrinkles, quicker weight gain, and reduced flexibility are also natural changes. Changes which we collectively deny and do everything we can to fight against them.
We don’t want to admit the fact that we are mortal. Every new wrinkle is an annoying reminder that we’re going to die.
It’s a truthful and sobering perspective from which to look at life.
I will die.
How do I want to spend my time?
What is valuable to me?
What speech would I like to be heard at my funeral — and does it matter at all?
What would I want to say to myself today — from the version of me who is dying?
If, in the end, I take nothing with me — how do I want to live?
I like that in the phrase “I AGE” there’s no sense of rising or fading — just the fact of changing age.
I’ve started noticing how my body changes. Not gradually — like in my twenties — but suddenly.
At 29, I wasn’t prepared to hear my knee crack when getting out of bed. Whatever you go to the doctor with — the universal prescription is: “air out the room and drink more water.”
When I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager, I learned at school about the changes my body would soon go through — and I felt prepared. But no one ever told me that around thirty and beyond, wrinkles, quicker weight gain, and reduced flexibility are also natural changes. Changes which we collectively deny and do everything we can to fight against them.
We don’t want to admit the fact that we are mortal. Every new wrinkle is an annoying reminder that we’re going to die.
It’s a truthful and sobering perspective from which to look at life.
I will die.
How do I want to spend my time?
What is valuable to me?
What speech would I like to be heard at my funeral — and does it matter at all?
What would I want to say to myself today — from the version of me who is dying?
If, in the end, I take nothing with me — how do I want to live?
I AGE
From that perspective, I want to touch on the topic of “beauty and youth” — because as for AFAB person, I feel how shame of visible aging comes bundled with the label “woman.”. No matter how much I love my body or what word I currently use to describe my gender, I was socialized as a woman in a white, Western, individualist, heteronormative, patriarchal, capitalist society — and that shaped my understanding of beauty and youth.
What is “beauty”? Beauty is a social construct. It’s not innate or objective. Its standards change from century to century, country to country, class to class. Beauty is always about conforming to what is considered *normal* in a particular society.
Maybe we can slowly deconstruct the idea of "beauty"?
From that perspective, I want to touch on the topic of “beauty and youth” — because as for AFAB person, I feel how shame of visible aging comes bundled with the label “woman.”. No matter how much I love my body or what word I currently use to describe my gender, I was socialized as a woman in a white, Western, individualist, heteronormative, patriarchal, capitalist society — and that shaped my understanding of beauty and youth.
What is “beauty”? Beauty is a social construct. It’s not innate or objective. Its standards change from century to century, country to country, class to class. Beauty is always about conforming to what is considered *normal* in a particular society.
Maybe we can slowly deconstruct the idea of "beauty"?
Anything what speaks to you: shiny dress, fluffy sleepwear, comfy sweatpants, elegant costume, unicorn outfit. I would recommend to bring a pair of warm socks (the floor is quite cold), and clothes comfy enough to lay down on the floor and move freely, in case if you want to participate in the exercises.
- We will have an altar, you can bring your childhood photo, a flower, a candle and/or a physical item that reminds you of birth, life, death.
- Food & drinks to share: homemade food and birthday cakes are highly appreciated! Also good to bring snacks, cheese, fruits, juice... We have a kitchen with hot water, cups and cutlery; no microwave, no plates.
We will have a closed container for the experience, we will start all together. You can skip the exercises or adapt them for your needs, you can leave at any moment. But you can't join just for the play back perfomance.
The whole topic by itself can be emotionally difficult, and some exercises might deeply touch or trigger you. I invite you to take care of yourself and do what you need to regulate yourself: drink water, breath, shake, cry, ask for a hug, communicate your needs. It is an experimental donation-based event, we won't have a special person for the emotional support. I invite all the participants to take care of each other. I trust that we can co-regulate all together.
Contact me via Telegram (WhatsUp, Signal) if you have any questions:
+49 162 8160247
+49 162 8160247