On Friday, February 14, 2020, Robert Schenck visited Stora Teatern in Gothenburg to see the production of Föddhora. Föddhora is a theater piece by Martina Montelius played by Lo Kauppi. Here are Robert’s reflections after seeing the play.
For those who missed the opportunity in Gothenburg, the set will also be played at Vävenscenen in Umeå on March 10, 2020 and at Södra Teatern in Stockholm on March 13, 2020.
A wonderfully rewarding evening
The monologue begins slowly and tediously, but soon the picture becomes more complete. During the hour-long performance, we get to meet and get to know a prostitute who does her best to find providing options. Thereby, we meet a Foodora cyclist who, while searching for an address, tells us about herself and her life as a prostitute. At the same time, she is looking for her sister, Marisol, or rather Marisol’s body parts. She was brutally murdered.
Nothing is exaggerated during the performance. The prop and directing are relatively simple and straightforward which make the experience stronger. Sure there is humor, but I did not laugh once. The subject is too serious, the fate too tragic and the experiences too awful and too strong.
The evening began with an introduction by Merly Åsbogård who has survived 16 years in prostitution. Åsbogård captivates the audience for 10 minutes. Even her speech is extremely strong in all its simplicity. She tells us about the punters as she remembers them. For example, he who asked how old she was to make sure he got what he had “ordered”. She answered truthfully – fourteen years. Then he was satisfied. The message is clear: the play we will soon be taking part of isn’t something new.
After the performance in Gothenburg, a panel discussion is led by two volunteers from Rosenlundstödet. The volunteers tell us how they go out every Friday night and give different forms of support to women in prostitution on the street in Gothenburg. It’s mostly foreign women but also Swedish. Rosenlundstödet wholeheartedly supports the Swedish Sex Purchase Act, which among other things facilitates their work because what these women do is not criminal. It is the purchase of the sexual services that is illegal. The guests from Rosenlundstödet are educated, experienced and verbal. The discussion is very rewarding and an excellent complement to the play.
The evening was complete, and is was a strong one.