THE WATS

The Berlin-based composer and musician Stepha Schweiger presents THE WATS, a new cross-genre work of music theatre.

The piece, an implementation of Katherine Mansfield’s (1888–1923) short story ›The Woman at the Store‹, will premiere on October 2, 2025, at Ballhaus Ost in Berlin.

In THE WATS, three travellers stumble upon a mysterious woman and her child in a remote, apocalyptic desert landscape in New Zealand. What begins as both an exhausting and cheerful journey develops into an absurd but humorous night that tells a story of violence, isolation and emancipation.

Schweiger translates Mansfield’s themes – the role of women, interpersonal relationships and our connection with nature – into a contemporary social context. Applying the musical methods of repetition and subtle, catchy variations, the music theatre addresses highly topical issues such as sexualised violence, climate catastrophe and the quest for self-determination.

The concept, composition, stage direction and video content emanate from Stepha Schweiger, supported by Dag Lohde (dramaturgy), as well as Florian Tippe (sound design), PFA-STUDIOS (digital set design / video) and Pyrolator (electronic arrangement).
The cast features Anke Retzlaff (Woman, vocalist, actor, also appearing as an avatar), Ziv Frenkel (the child Else, dancer, also appearing as an avatar), Deborah Rawlings (narrator, performer, also appearing as an avatar), Raphael Dwinger (Jo, baritone, actor) and Adam Goodwin (Hin, double bass, speaker, performer, also appearing as an avatar).
The main musical and more performative aspects of the piece are executed by the LUX:NM ensemble, featuring Silke Lange (accordion), Ruth Velten (saxophone), Florian Juncker (trombone) and Zoé Cartier (violoncello).

The project is funded by the Capital Cultural Fund (HKF) and supported, among others, by the New Zealand Embassy in Germany. The public was given a first glimpse of the piece on July 2, 2025, during a presentation by Stepha Schweiger at the international conference of the Katherine Mansfield Society at the University of Birmingham, Great Britain.

The Berlin performances are from October 2 till October 4 at 8 pm and on October 5 at 6 pm.

A guest stage performance of THE WATS will be held on November 14, 2025, at the SONIC VISIONS Festival in Reutlingen.

THE WATS is produced by the non-profit association Aktuelle Musik und Musiktheater-Produktion Berlin (AMB e. V.).

The language of the performances is English.