"MOTHER" is a story about inevitability and the uncomfortable thoughts we have become accustomed to pushing into the darkest corners of our consciousness, afraid even to touch them.

These are thoughts about our impermanence, about the fear of losing or being lost, about the fact that birth always coexists with death, and that one day, everything hidden inevitably becomes evident.

A mother lives with the thought that her child will live forever, and a child believes that their mother will always be there. The performance "MOTHER" explores the unbreakable bond between birth and death.

How does a mother come to terms with the death of her child? How does a child cope with the loss of their mother? And what does someone feel who is unable to become a mother?

"MOTHER" is a story about inevitability and the uncomfortable thoughts we have become accustomed to pushing into the darkest corners of our consciousness, afraid even to touch them. These are thoughts about our impermanence, about the fear of losing or being lost, about the fact that birth always coexists with death, and that one day, everything hidden inevitably becomes evident. A mother lives with the thought that her child will live forever, and a child believes that their mother will always be there. The performance "MOTHER" explores the unbreakable bond between birth and death. How does a mother come to terms with the death of her child? How does a child cope with the loss of their mother? And what does someone feel who is unable to become a mother? «What came first — the chicken or the egg? The mother or her child? And is it even worth seeking the answer if both the mother and the child are destined to die? Birth and death are alike. The womb of life and the womb of death are the same gate. The mother’s womb, giving life, and the earth’s womb, receiving it in the end — all these are cycles, intertwined with blood and cries. Give birth — birth — birthplace — send to die for the birthplace — die for the birthplace — die for your own birthplace — die for your birthplace.»

Name: Maya Dorozhenko/Anna Andreeva
Born — Location Russia - Armenia - Turkey - Armenia. Anna Andreeva - Russia - Armenia - Georgia

Maya - After Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine, I left the country, abandoning all my projects in state theaters. I continue my anti-war work outside Russia, driven by a need to break the silence. Anna - After the Russian Federation invaded Ukraine in 2022, I left Russia. I don't want to go back to a country where people are so vilely brainwashed and turned into slaves.
Maria is an interdisciplinary artist, born in 1991 in Borovichi, Novgorod region, Russia. Since 2022 she lives and works in Georgia. Since October 2022, I have been a member of the horizontal creative initiative tmp_space. Since 2023 also a member of the art group Particles.

My name is Maya Dorozhenko, a theater director, screenwriter, and artist, and a graduate of GITIS. I’ve directed plays in Russia (Fomenko Theater, Yermolova Theater, Theater A39) and Greece (Athens Conservatory), worked on documentary and social projects, and participated in the German-Russian project Zwischenraum/Purpose of Visit. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I left the country, abandoning my state theater projects. My anti-war stance made it impossible to create “joyful art” in a nation at war. In Armenia, I co-created the anti-war play HANNAH with actress Anna Andreyeva, based on Hannah Arendt's works. We performed it in Tbilisi at the "HUMAN" festival, with proceeds supporting Ukraine. My play BERLINERMAUER/The Wall of Love was shortlisted at the Lyubimovka festival's "Dramaturgy Against War" competition. I continue my anti-war work, creating art that speaks truthfully about our reality.

I’m Anna Andreeva, a theater, film, and voice actor who has always despised injustice. I lived, studied, and worked in Moscow, where I had professional plans, but after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, I could no longer stay. Initially, I joined protests, then lived in fear in a closed apartment. In November 2022, I left for Armenia with director Maya Dorozhenko, and we started working on the anti-war monodrama HANNAH. Later, I moved to Tbilisi, where we performed HANNAH again, with proceeds going to Ukrainian relief. Now, I live in Tbilisi, taking on new professions to survive. I hope my emigrant story will continue and find its right path. I do not want to return to a country where people are brainwashed and enslaved. I haven’t seen my parents in over two years, and I fear they may die before seeing light triumph over darkness.

Maya - Death is always close to me. I used to feel it very near. Now, it stands as a shadow behind me. Anna - Death is like emptiness. I have no opinion on my own death, as it's impossible to feel it while you're alive. Most likely, I fear the fear of death itself. This fear of the unknown and the loss of the people closest to me drains all my strength.