The Street of Women

**On Tyrants, White Women, Blood Countesses, and Legendary Tales**
A Quest in the Treasure Trove of Legends from Burgenland

An event as part of the POSITIONEN · Theater of the Present
In cooperation with the Theater Initiative Burgenland – State Theater of the Authors and the Open House Oberwart
Burgenland is rich in stories – and in female figures that stand out. No fewer than 20 artists are dedicating themselves to a theme that continues to fascinate: legendary women between myth and reality.
Whether it’s the alleged tyrant Rosalia von Forchtenstein, the combative Gertraud von Weisspriach at Castle Landsee, the mysterious White Woman of Bernstein, the infamous “Blood Countess” of Lockenhaus, the controversial Countess Batthyány-Thyssen of Rechnitz, or the tortured women persecuted as witches in Eberau – all these figures raise questions. What does popular lore say about them? And what is the truth behind their legends?
The focus of the piece is on women who broke with the societal norms of their time, resisted attributions, or became a projection surface precisely through their contradictions.
From North to South
The route leads from north to south to six castles and palaces in Burgenland. Places where history continues to resonate: in fairy tales and legends, in historical treatises, personal memories, or scholarly analyses. However, as The Road of Women shows: Not every story has unfolded as it is commonly conveyed to us.
Seven authors, six visual artists, and one musician, together with the actresses on stage, take on the task of looking deeper into the fate of women who have remained in the memory of the country due to a real or perceived taboo break and who continue to captivate people's imaginations to this day.
Authors: Sanja Abramovic, Theodora Bauer, Katrin Bernhardt, Petra Piuk, Sophie Reyer, Johanna Sebauer, Katharina Tiwald
Directors: Valentina Himmelbauer and Peter Wagner
Actresses: Myriam Angela, Petra Staduan, Petra Strasser
Composition and Live Music: Mira Perusich
Visual Artists / Set Design: Renate Holpfer, Judith Horvatits, Elke Mischling, Ilse Lichtenberger, Petra Neulinger, Doris Schamp
Concept: Peter Wagner