Woodworm | Perform Czech

Foam horror.
Ever since the night she laid the bricks and mortar, my mother knew that the shadows had crept in too. She no longer heard them just behind the curtains or the door, but in her own chest, deep inside. When she put her ear to my belly, she could hear them inside me, too. She knew that they would grow inside us, that they would grow into our insides and that we wouldn’t be able to tear them out.

Layla Martínez, in her novel Woodworm, shows in a fascinating way how hatred grows inside a person. From the bowels of a worm-eaten house, two women’s voices echo, yearning to stop the cycle of poverty, violence and exploitation.

The prose debut Woodworm has been published in more than two dozen countries.

About the company

The Drama Studio of Ústí nad Labem was founded in 1972, and since its foundation, it has been a key stage on the Czech theatre map. With its progressive and local dramaturgy, it brings contemporary themes into the public space. The Drama Studio builds on a rich legacy of artistic innovation shaped by previous generations of theatre-makers.

Eliška Říhová is significant young figure on the contemporary alternative theatre scene. Growing up in a small town has strongly influenced her work. She is interested in neglected types of people and activities, on which she most often focuses in her work. She handles these phenomena with a strong and unmistakable visual style. In the past, she has created productions for the National Theatre, Vzlet and MeetFactory.