Mittelland Zeitung
Ibicaba und Crevetten
Rothrist: The play “Ibicaba und Crevetten” concluded the commemorative events on emigration.
Two women, two lives in different eras, and their stories are at the heart of “Ibicaba und Crevetten.”
Longing for home, love, and security is the sustaining element in the bittersweet piece “Ibicaba und Crevetten.” At its center are two strong women. Barbara Simmen, who lived around 1850, encounters her great-great-great-granddaughter Esther Walker. Much separates them, yet even more unites them—above all the role of the beloved and the desire for constancy.
Barbara (Barbara Tellenbach-Göldi) has two children born out of wedlock and, like many others, works in the Glarus textile industry. Times are hard and hunger and hardship are everyday realities. All her thoughts and longings are focused on emigrating to Ibicaba with Peter, the father of her son. But instead of all four setting off for Brazil, she must leave her sick son with Peter—who is married—and build a new life with her daughter.
Esther (Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz) is a woman of today—professionally successful, personally unsuccessful. Her liaison with a married man frustrates her. In the midst of this crisis of unfulfilled love, Barbara intervenes in Esther’s life. She urges her to help search for the grave of the son she left behind. The unusual encounter with someone long deceased overwhelms Esther at first. But she agrees and begins genealogical research. Esther helps Barbara find peace—and in doing so, finds her own path.
The differing life journeys of the two women and the situational humor that repeatedly arises from bridging the span of time from 1850 to the present elicit smiles but, above all, prompt reflection. Strong in its performances as well, the play formed a fitting conclusion to the commemorations of Rothrist’s emigration 150 years ago. On February 27, 1855, 305 men, women, and children had to leave their homeland for America. It was the largest organized emigration from a municipality in Aargau. A special exhibition at the local history museum and various events recalled the occasion. Beyond these commemorations, a memorial stone at the emigration site by the “Rössli” will serve as a reminder. The memorial plaque records the names of the 305 emigrants.
Authors
Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz
Barbara Tellenbach-Göldi
Dramaturgical collaboration
Paul Steinmann
Director
Barbara Schneider
As Esther Walker
Jacqueline Fritschi-Cornaz
As Barbara Simmen
Barbara Tellenbach-Göldi
Technical
Felix Tellenbach
Costumes
Regula Mattmüller
Source : Emiliana Gutzwiller, Mittelland Zeitung, September 17, 2009