From the writer and director behind the award-winning hit Netflix film adaptation: Kata Wéber and Kornél Mundruczó, Battersea Arts Centre and The Adam Mickiewicz Institute present the UK stage premiere of TR Warszawa’s Pieces of a Woman.
Set in present-day Warsaw, Pieces of a Woman is a feminist family drama following the experiences and journey of 30-year-old Maja as she comes to terms with a personal tragedy. Six months on, a family gathering paints an intimate portrait of the rippling impact this has across several generations. Maja is forced to navigate familial and societal expectations, alongside her own reality, as she questions her old life and rebuilds from scratch the relationships with those closest to her.
With each interaction, underlying tensions are brought to surface and revelations are made as external conflicts represent the internal human struggle of a family and society unwilling to acknowledge what can no longer be ignored.
The original theatre production of Pieces of a Woman first premiered at TR Warszawa Poland in 2018 and toured at festivals across Poland and throughout Europe sharing at Festival d’Avignon and Athens and Epidaurus Festival in 2021 and most recently at Wiener Festwochen in Vienna. The production was commissioned by Bron Studios for a Netflix feature film adaptation premiering at Venice International Film Festival in 2020, led by the theatre production’s original creatives: director Kornél Mundruczó with screenplay by playwright Kata Wéber, with performances from Vanessa Kirby (winner of Best Actress at Venice), Shia LaBeouf and Ellen Burstyn. The film received widespread acclaim with both an Oscar and Golden Globe nomination for Vanessa Kirby as Best Leading Actress.
“We are proud to be premiering TR Warszawa’s ‘Pieces of a Woman’ to UK audiences in our Grand Hall this May. Kata Weber’s masterfully crafted script unfolds crucial themes about Poland but also wider society. Sitting within our Spring season of work from predominantly female and non-binary artists, the experience of the play’s central character transcends the setting to make for an evocative and visceral experience for all audiences.”
Pelin Başaran, Head of Programming, Battersea Arts Centre
“I’m delighted that, after several major cities in Europe, TR Warszawa’s production is coming to London. While the theatrical version is more responsive to the plight of women in Eastern Europe, where old attitudes still strongly define norms within the family and society, Maya’s story carries a universal message, about women’s liberties and characterises a society beset by political divisions. For me, it is a story as much about loss as it is about new beginnings, about the times when overcoming adversity allows us to redefine our identities.”
Kata Wéber, Playwright and Dramaturg, Pieces of a Woman
“After touring across Europe for several years, we are thrilled to finally premiere ‘Pieces of a Woman’ to audiences in London this Spring. The path of the leading character Maja, is everywoman’s path, she experiences what all women experience when their longings are squashed. We believe this universal perspective will resonate with audiences in London and the UK more widely.”
Kornél Mundruczó, Director, Pieces of a Woman
