Translated by Hannah Wozene Kvam
Directed by: Deise Faria Nunes
Set and Costume Design: Gabriela Melo Larsen
Composer: Victoria Nunes Finstad
Lighting Design: Kine E. H. Kvendseth
Actor: Nosizwe Baqwa
*The Woman and the Black Bird* is a poignant portrait of a woman written by Nini Roll Anker during World War II. The novel is a desperate cry about the horrors of war as seen from a mother’s perspective.
We meet Bett. She is serving a prison sentence for helping one of her twin sons desert. Her son Otto is sent to the front when the war breaks out, but after a few months he returns home; he no longer wants to kill.
Nini Roll Anker’s masterpiece is timeless in its examination of the nature of war and almost unbearable in its portrayal of mothers who helplessly try to protect their children from brutality.
The novel has been adapted for the stage by playwright Hannah Wozene Kvam. It is a monologue performance, featuring actress and singer Nosizwe Baqwa in the role of Bett.
