Mrs. Schmitz

In a company with international projection where proactivity is revered, it seems that all “capable” employees are prevented from going in search of suppliers in Pakistan. The only skilled person capable of carrying the project forward is Mrs. Schmitz, a trans woman who stirs up controversy: you may love her or hate her, but without a doubt, she will not go unnoticed. But how to send a woman of these characteristics to Pakistan, and expect the mission to be successful? Rolf, the boss, finds the solution: “change”, “make it reversible”.

He proposes to Mrs. Schmitz to go as a man. This will be Mrs. Schmitz's great opportunity to demonstrate her skills. The hornet's nest is stirring, and everyone will be watching the lady, demanding that she change, or stay as she is, or come back. The truth is that each morphological change of Schmitz will generate a shock wave where the judgment placed on her generates deep ontological questions for each of those around her.

Finally, this chameleon-like mutant who seems to adapt to all the demands of her environment decides to stop. Stop changing and take a definitive form. As usual, what doesn't fit breaks, like fine porcelain. By not corresponding to the wishes of his partner in love, he will hurt his face, leaving a scar from side to side. A badge perhaps of a society that denies identities. The work problematizes identity categories and mobilizes their social scope, placing itself at the center of debates in feminist theory and queer politics.

This work was created within the framework of the Bärfuss South America Cycle curated by Cecilia Bassano, the Santiago Off International Festival and the COINCIDENCIA - Swiss and South American Cultural Exchanges program. 

Dramaturgy: Lukas Bärfuss
Direction: Cecilia Bassano & Claudio Fuentes
Acting: Casandra Day
Music and sound design: Javier Bustos
Scenic design: Jorge Velis
Choreographic advice: Ollantay Rojas
Spanish translation:Cecilia Bassano and Martina Fernández.
Rights by Author: Hartmut Becher Dramaturgy Agency