An exploration of the identity of post-Soviet woman, with a focus on changes to this identity resulting from the Western experience.

The human body is a place of tradition, communication and authenticity. It listens, tells, and retells stories, shaping our identity within the context of place and time. Throughout history, changes in women’s identity have been legitimized by socioeconomic shifts. Our focus is on the specific roles of Soviet women and the multiple roles of post-Soviet women.

Our research is based on Dr. Aneta Pavlenko’s Socioeconomic Conditions and Discursive Construction of Women’s Identities in Post-Soviet Countries (2002), which also shaped the performance’s dramatic construction. Other research involved interviews with women from the Czech Republic and Lithuania who were in their thirties when the Iron Curtain fell.

What is the identity of post-Soviet woman today? Does the “Soviet” identity still exist in the second and third generation of women? Is there such a thing as a post-Soviet identity in an era of globalisation? And if yes: How do we deal with it? We also look at the “heritage” of post-Soviet thinking in our generation and try to identify the characteristic of the Eastern way of thinking in everyday life.

Idea and concept: Ingrida Gerbutavičiūtė and Agnija Šeiko

Performers: Inga Kuznecova and Agnija Šeiko

Music: Antanas Jasenka

Stage designer: Sigita Šimkūnaitė

Video artist: Albena Baeva

Lighting design: Povilas Laurinaitis

Producer: Goda Giedraitytė