Droste, Haberlandt, Auf der Heyde, Münster: AUF ALLEN VIEREN – A world premiere based on the novel by Miranda July

Three weeks follow, marked by ecstasy and control, desire, emptiness—and finally, an unexpected transformation.
Above all, one pressing question hangs in the air: What does it mean to live in a society that often renders women invisible when they enter menopause?

The novel answers this question boldly and unfiltered. Its international success also highlights a sensitive gap in contemporary literature: the continuing underrepresentation of middle-aged women. Readers encounter a story that is rarely told—even though countless women are all too familiar with the inevitability of physical changes and the associated challenges in dealing with themselves, their relationships, everyday life, and desire.

This is precisely why the sudden, groundbreaking power of the protagonist has such a contagious effect when she explores her own “what ifs.” As if peering through a keyhole, we look curiously into the motel room and allow ourselves to be seduced into unleashing our own thoughts.

For this world premiere, directors Sabine Auf der Heyde and Holle Münster have teamed up with renowned actresses Meike Droste and Fritzi Haberlandt. Together, they create an immersive space in which the boundaries between fiction and reality become blurred. With relentless intensity, they explore the loosening of social expectations, the redefinition of female desire, and the reclaiming of one's own identity.

AUF ALLEN VIEREN (All Fours) was published in 2024 and was a finalist for the National Book Award. It is the second novel by Miranda July, who has also made a name for herself internationally as a filmmaker and performance artist.