NORACORE by Anna Banica

Struggling to find her footing, she shoulders financial and emotional burdens to support her boyfriend Adam, an idealistic but entitled actor chasing his big break, as Torvald Helmer in an independent production of “A Doll’s House”.

The play intertwines Sabina’s story with a vivid ensemble of characters: her judgmental mother Narcisa, her brash and carefree best friend Stephanie, and Adam’s toxic and opportunistic friend Oliver. Each relationship serves as a mirror reflecting Sabina’s struggle to reconcile societal expectations, personal agency, and survival in a neoliberal world. Stephanie’s unapologetic embrace of privilege and her endorsement of online sex work as an empowering way to earn fast money leads Sabina to make a decision rooted not in liberation, but desperation.

Layered with biting commentary on feminism, this fresh and original story critiques the commodification of bodies and identities under the guise of autonomy and choice and juxtaposes the promises of neoliberalism, asking whether true agency exists for those already marginalized. This is not just a retelling, but a reinvention—a reminder that Nora’s decision to walk out of her “doll’s house” is still a battle many women face today.

Trigger & content warnings: strobe lights, sexual assault, explicit sexual language, misogyny

 

About the company

Outland Theatre Berlin is a collective of professional, international artists based in Berlin, founded in 2023. The cast and crew members have immigrated to Germany in recent years from countries such as Romania, Latvia and the United States of America to receive an education and pursue careers in the arts.

The company was born out of their need to feel represented in Berlin's multicultural scene and in front of English-speaking audiences, and the simultaneous need to create space for neurodivergent, FLINTA, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists and audiences.