Europa

Theatre

28.8.-31.8.2026

Jahrhunderthalle Bochum

A contemporary Greek tragedy

Violence rarely ends with the moment of its eruption. In Europa, Krzysztof Warlikowski explores how trauma festers across generations – settling into families, memories and silences, and shaping lives long after the original catastrophe has passed. Based on Wajdi Mouawad’s play Europa’s Pledge, it unfolds as a contemporary tragedy shaped by fractured remembrance. At its centre stands Europa, a woman haunted by a massacre she witnessed as a child – carried out by her own people. She summons her daughters, who struggle to speak, remember, and connect, bound to a past they did not experience, yet cannot escape. The story emerges in fragments: names of atrocities, some real, some invented, blur fact and fiction, confronting the audience with repression and the instability of history. Europa exposes violence, guilt and the fragile act of narration itself. Playing with gender roles and expectations of womanhood, it reveals how bodies and voices become carriers of memory. In a time marked by inherited fears and unresolved conflicts, the personal becomes political and the piece resonates as a parable of our present.

Produced by Nowy Teatr, Warsaw. Coproduced by Théâtre de Liège.

„Words can be a site of conflict, but also of repair and revelation.“

Wajdi Mouwad

Cast

Based on 'Europa's Pledge (Le Serment d'Europe) by
- Wajdi Mouawad
Adaption
- Krzysztof Warlikowski,
- Piotr Gruszczyński
Text Translation
- Jacek Poniedziałek
Direction
- Krzysztof Warlikowski
Set Design, Costume
- Małgorzata Szczęśniak
Lighting Design
- Felice Ross
Dramaturgy
- Piotr Gruszczyński,
- Anna Lewandowska,
- Carolin Losch
Music
- Paweł Mykietyn
Choreography
- Claude Bardouil
Video
- Kamil Polak
Make-up
- Monika Kaleta
With
- Claude Bardouil,
- Andrzej Chyra,
- Magdalena Cielecka,
- Bartosz Gelner,
- Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik,
- Maja Ostaszewska,
- Magdalena Popławska
German Translation
- Andreas Volk
English Translation
- Artur Zapałowski

Supporters Ruhrtriennale

With support of the Polish Institute Düsseldorf

RuhrBühnen*Spezial

The performance of Europa on 31 August 2026 is part of the RuhrBühnen*Spezial series. A new stage, a new theatre highlight every month – and a ticket price of just €15: That's the RuhrBühnen*Spezial. Behind the offer is the RuhrBühnen network, an association of eleven theatres and two festivals from the Ruhr metropolis. RuhrBühnen*Spezial tickets can be booked in our webshop.

Creative childcare

Happy Sundays invites families to enjoy Sundays together. Children aged between 6 and 11 can get creative during an afternoon performance: with guidance from theatre educators, they explore music, dance, and play. While the adults are at the theatre, a playful art space is created for the kids. Childcare will be available in the upper foyer of the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum on 30 Aug, coinciding with the performance of Europa. Tickets can be booked via our webshop.