Girls (Cure)

This is a performance about growing up, first sexual experiences, and the sex education of different generations of women. What did losing their virginity mean to them? How much did they fear unwanted pregnancy? What empowered them in discovering their sexuality?

Through an intimate excavation of family narratives, the creators confront shame and pain as well as pleasure, inviting us to reflect on things that demand to be spoken about. By depicting shifts in time, society, and political systems, the performance draws from the “past” and the “lived experience” yet directly addresses the realities of today.

In addition to conversations with the creators’ mothers and grandmothers, the performance was inspired by workshops and discussions with contemporary seventeen-year-old girls growing up in Rijeka.

About the authors:

The Kolektiv Igralke consists of four friends and graduates of the Acting and Media programme at the Academy of Applied Arts in Rijeka, mentored by Rade Šerbedžija and Lenka Udovički. In addition to their friendship, they are united by their love for acting and socially engaged theatre.

Following the success of Grannies (Bakice, 2020), which was presented at Crossings 2023, Mladi levi, Berlin’s Theatertreffen-Stückemarkt, and numerous other venues, their most significant performance to date is Black Wool (Crna vuna, 2022). In 2023, this production was nominated for the Humanism in Theatre Award, presented by the organization Baščovjek.

Tjaša Črnigoj is a theatre director specializing in devised and documentary theatre practices. One of her most acclaimed recent projects is Sex Education II (2022/2023), a series of internationally award-winning lecture-performances on women’s sexual pleasure. For her work, she has received, along with other recipients, the Women on Women Award and the Župančič Award. After Grannies, Girls is the second collaboration between Kolektiv Igralke and director Tjaša Črnigoj.