This is not a play about motherhood. This is a play about the decision on motherhood.

The authors from Igralke Collective are in their (mid) thirties and feel that time is running out for them to decide on motherhood. They see themselves as the first generation of women in their families who truly have the freedom to choose on this matter; they are financially independent, unlike their grandmothers, and being a mother is no longer a given, as it was for their mothers. Starting from their personal experiences, they explored this topic in art, theory, and history, but the most valuable material turned out to be the interviews conducted for the play with a number of women who responded to a public call.

Listening to the perspectives of mothers, women who have chosen not to have children, those who cannot have them, and those who are undecided, the topic of deciding on motherhood revealed itself as vast, boundless, and timeless — to the point where the authors felt it deserved not just a play, but a museum. And so, while such a permanent museum does not exist, this play — through confessions, movement, music, and visual expression — brings to life an imaginary museum of (non)motherhood, woven from often invisible experiences and stories that are at once intimate, social, and mythical.

Our museum has floating roots. It exists here and now, but when the lights go out it moves on, travels in women’s bodies, and reveals itself when someone needs it. We needed it. And then it appeared to us.

After the productions Grannies and Girls (dir. Tjaša Črnigoj), Igralke Collective concludes their “women’s trilogy” with Mothers, joining forces with director and author Rajna Racz, who is herself a young mother. Theatre thus becomes a place of creation and gentle coexistence with a child, and the stage an arena for Igralke to confront their own fears, hopes, traditional and contemporary ideas and imperatives about the woman, the artist, and the mother — and a space for freedom (of choice).