MOTHER ANIMAL by Leo Lorena Wyss

Three siblings, one hospital room, and a lifetime of fish sticks and make-believe. For years, they have weathered their mother’s absence by reenacting Titanic—a cinematic echo of their own sinking home. But as they gather at her bedside once more, the games can no longer mask the truth. In this haunting exploration of role-reversal, the children who raised themselves must finally confront the legacy of a mother who struggled to stay afloat.

Mother Animal premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna on October 2, 2024, directed by Mia Constantine. It was awarded the Retzhofer Drama Prize in 2023 under the title wie von mutterhand.

Mother Animal (Muttertier), 2024, by Leo Lorena Wyss
North American Premiere

Translated by Neil Blackadder
Directed by Valentina Fratti
Production Stage Manager: Keri Landeiro
Production Designer: Susan Shaw
Sound Designer: Luke Hofmaier

Leo Lorena Wyss (Playwright) works as an author and is active in political education alongside their writing. Most recently, Wyss was awarded the Autor*innenpreis of the 40th Heidelberger Stückemarkt for the play Blaupause (premiere: Theater und Orchester Heidelberg) and the Retzhofer Dramapreis for the play Muttertier (premiere: Burgtheater Wien). In the 2024/25 season, Wyss was the resident playwright at the Nationaltheater Mannheim.

Neil Blackadder (Translator) translates drama and prose from German and French. His translations of plays by Lukas Bärfuss, Ewald Palmetshofer, Rebekka Kricheldorf, and Mishka Lavigne have been produced in London, New York, Chicago, and other cities. His translations have been published in many journals and books and he has received grants from the NEA, PEN, and the Howard Foundation. In 2023, Neil served as Translator in Residence at Princeton University. His translation of Anne Weber’s non-fiction book Sanderling will be published in the US in February.

Valentina Fratti (Director) has been developing and directing new plays for over three decades. Directing credits include: the premiere of Rebecca Gilman’s A Woman of the World with Kathleen Chalfant (59e59); Adam Seidel’s Williston; They Promised Her the Moon by Laurel Ollstein. Other credits include: the NYTimes' Critics Pick, Catch the Butcher by Adam Seidel (Cherry Lane Theatre); Snow Orchid; R.U.R. ; Jeff Daniels’ Apartment 3A. She was co-founder and Artistic Director with the Miranda Theatre Company, a not for profit theatre company dedicated to developing and producing original work, Directing credits for Miranda Theater Co, credits include The Book of Wren, Innocent Thoughts, Prostitutki and Near Normal. During the pandemic she directed VIRTUE a film by Emily Bohannon, featuring Margaret Colin, Tony-Nominated Joshua Henry, and Paten Hughes. Valentina taught directing at the New School from 1999 to 2018. Proud member of SDC.

Keri Landeiro (Production Stage Manager) Past credits with VoyageTheater Company include: 5,000 Steps to Peace and Justice, Don’t Look Back!, The Mecca Tales and The Vast Mystery of Who You Are - Part I as SM. Other credits include Queensboro Dance Festival (2017, 2018 seasons), This is Our Youth (Convergent Theatre Co.), FriendAndy.com (Forward Flux), and various productions with Haberdasher Theater Company (member 2006-2013); AMDA Alum and Proud AEA member

Susan Shaw (Production Designer) is a 2010 recipient of a Wexner Center Art & Technology residency, and a Puffin Foundation grantee for Videos on Broadway. She has received two New York State Artist’s Fellowships and the Kaleidoscope Award from the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Shaw was a 2013 and 2007 recipient of a Vermont Studio Center residency. Public collections include: The Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum, The International Museum of Photography and the The Israel Museum. Exhibition venues include: MoMA P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center; The International Center of Photography; Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art. Shaw is a member of Dieu Donné papermill, the Center for Book Arts, the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, and the New York Artist’s Circle.

Luke Hofmaier (Sound Designer) Luke is a theater-maker from New York City, and recently earned his MFA Degree for Acting at Columbia University. Luke most recently appeared in Austin Pendleton's production of Orson's Shadow at Theater for the New City. He has designed sound for After The Revolution by Amy Herzog at the Morningside Players Theater Company.

VOYAGE THEATER COMPANY presents new and unheralded plays and playwrights from around the world, creating opportunities for collaboration between theater-makers of diverse cultures and disciplines. We serve our local community in New York City through professional productions, staged readings, internships, and free or discounted tickets for students and seniors. We present plays in multiple languages and in translation and work in partnership with other nonprofit organizations to broaden perspectives and build greater cultural equity across communities.

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