Matinee Extended -Glaube, Widerstand, Weiblichkeit: Dialogues des Carmélites

With Cornelius Meister, Ewelina Marciniak, Rebekka Endler, Sister Nicola Maria, singers from the production
Moderation: Carolin Müller-Dohle

Sixteen women go to their deaths together in Paris on July 17, 1794. It is an act of sisterhood in the midst of calls for fraternity and a sign of resistance: this community of women fights for their faith, values and convictions to the very end. French composer Francis Poulenc transformed the story of the Carmelite nuns of Compiègne into one of the most exciting operas of the 20th century. In her new production at the Stuttgart State Opera, director Ewelina Marciniak now takes it as the occasion for a great reflection on female solidarity and the longing for community beyond temporal localization and questions of faith. At the matinee, Ewelina Marciniak and General Music Director Cornelius Meister will provide insights into the scenic and musical conception of the new production - and of course there will also be music from the opera, played and sung by participants in the production.

Short break

Afterwards, an author and journalist as well as a nun will address the issues raised from very different perspectives: Sister Nicola Maria from the Order of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul will talk about her life in the service of faith and the freedom that the community gives her. In conversation with the feminist author Rebekka Endler, whose book "Witches, Bitches, It Girls", published in 2025, caused a sensation, the socio-political questions of the production take center stage: What role did women play in the French Revolution and why did the women's rights activist Olympe de Gouges remain in the shadows of history for so long? How is it that women's associations are still struggling with an image problem today? Why are we increasingly encountering the nun as a pop-cultural phenomenon again - and what does this say about today's role models?