The Drama Is Present:

Are dramatic texts, is the theatre able to discover a language for something that is near impossible to capture in words?

In Germany, 17% of the total population suffer from a chronic pain syndrome, 80% are women. But this text is not meant as a lament, writes Patty Kim Hamilton.

Seven women in a renowned, surreal pain clinic: in the eternal loop of therapies and conversations with doctors, the patients try out different medications, do pottery classes, exercise programmes – but the pain remains. By all appearances, nothing is happening with the women in the clinic, and yet everything is caught up in a constant, almost imperceptible motion. Times passes differently here. And the aging “female” body is a central motif. The language and dialogues are based on real conversations and clinical questionnaires – and are enriched by chorus-like passages, poetry, and performative images of nature that open up a new dimension, posing the questions: Where do we find solace? And what might a journey through pain look like?

Pain Camp book release is in April 2024 in the series Suhrkamp Theater. The release party includes Patty Kim Hamilton and members of the Volksbühne, who will present it in a polyphonic, tough and tender first version at the Roter Salon.