Wojciech Rybicki: SISTERS – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin

Wojciech Rybicki:
SISTERS

Portrait of a person with short hair and a face covered in white makeup. The person sits with bent arms, resting their head on their hands. Red lips, emphasized eyelashes, and visible tattoos on the arms shape the appearance. A blurred red and beige color surface appears in the background.
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As part of Forecast Work stay

On May 26, 1990, Chekhov’s ballet Three Sisters was scheduled at the Wrocław Opera, but the premiere never took place. Months earlier, Poles had witnessed the collapse of the communist regime, opening a new future with new desires, dances — and new Moscows. Perhaps these rapid socio-political changes caused the planned ballet to fade into oblivion. The sisters remained trapped in forgetfulness, waiting not only for Moscow but also for the promised premiere.

In 2019, three decades after the fall of communism, during a school theatre festival, Wojciech Rybicki staged his first work. His grandfather had to leave early due to illness. This left a suspension in the performance – and the grandfather never saw it to the end.

SISTERS is an attempt to restore not only a forgotten ballet premiere but also the unfinished premiere from 2019. This semi-documentary attempt of recovering dancing bodies simulates a ballet that never came into being, employing a grandchild’s longing. It is a story about intimacy, time and inheritance. A request to dancing ancestors to deliver a love letter to a grandfather who passed away in 2020 after a long battle with cancer.

It seeks traces of lost futures, setting in motion a poetic shift from that which haunts toward that which heals and liberates. It is an act of resistance against personal and institutional politics that use oblivion as a tool of censorship – erasing memories.

Evening information

The information on accessibility is still in progress and will be updated as soon as possible. If any questions remain unanswered until then, please feel free to contact the communication department at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details may change by the day of the event. Therefore, if you find out after you have purchased your ticket that the performance is no longer accessible to you, you can contact us for a ticket return at ticketing@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 45 until 5 business days after the event (Monday through Friday between 10am and 6pm).

Duration

Approx. 40 minutes without a break

Lighting

There is flickering light in some parts.

Strobe lighting is used at one moment.

The lighting atmosphere regularly changes between dark and bright.

Fog

Fog is used.

Sound

At one point, rustling and potentially unpleasant sounds are played.

Admission

There will be an extended admission period.

Tickets

  • Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm-6pm
  • Via the online ticket shop
  • At the box office

You can also find more information about accessibility at the house here.

Choreography, performance: Wojciech Rybicki
Mentorship, dramaturgy support: Lulu Obermayer
Music: Ernest Borowski
Vocal-acting creation: Aga Ujma
Costume, scenography: Paweł Włodarski
Light design: VictorPiano

A production by Wojciech Rybicki. SISTERS was developed within the framework of Forecast – Skills e.V. Forecast is a project by Skills e. V. Forecast is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Forecast is a member of the European network LINA. This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Co- financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.

Wojciech Rybicki, born in Bytom, is a queer choreographer and performance artist whose work spans experimental performance, ballet ethnicity, and choreopolitical research. He treats choreography as a radical method for rethinking memory, futurity, and collective imagination, working at the intersection of deviation, tenderness and speculative fiction. He is a graduate of the PERA School of Performing Arts and currently a mentee for the 10th edition of Forecast (Berlin) with his project SISTERS. His choreographic works include F**ball* (Foksal Gallery, Warsaw), idontlikemetut(yo)u (Scena Robocza, Poznań) and They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (AST Theatre, Kraków). Rybicki co-created Swans at the Grand Theatre Opera (Poznań), which is the winner of the FEDORA Audience Award. In 2025, he received the Bytom Municipality Cultural Grant for post-ballet circle. Since 2024, he has been a member of the Carrodunum Dance Company.

  • Portrait of a person with short hair and a face covered in white makeup. The person sits with bent arms, resting their head on their hands. Red lips, emphasized eyelashes, and visible tattoos on the arms shape the appearance. A blurred red and beige color surface appears in the background.
    © Dominik Kupka
  • A person crouches on a dark stage holding a small figurine in their hands. The person wears a light T-shirt, shorts, and a dark cloth covering their head. Cool, focused lighting creates strong shadows on the floor.
    © Camille Blake
  • A person moves across a dark stage in side lighting. In the background, a large screen displays yellow text. On the floor are a laptop, a microphone stand, and small figurines.
    © Camille Blake