The Woman Who Walked into Doors tells the moving life story of Paula Spencer. A stream of memories is triggered when she is told that her husband has been killed by the police; she looks back on her youth, how she fell in love, married shortly afterwards and how her marriage ended in a drama.
The Woman Who Walked into Doors tells the story of a woman and her lonely fight, doing all that she can to keep her head above water. She is a stubborn heroine of everyday life, who eventually found the courage to take a radical decision. The social and emotional despair of a working class woman raised in a working class area of Dublin, is a surprising subject for an opera. The director Guy Cassiers and composer Kris Defoort wanted primarily to work with three basic elements in the opera version of Doyle´s story; the singer Paula, the actress Paula – both live on stage – and an omnipresent video screen that functions as Paula’s antagonist as well as the setting. All the secondary characters, the world and language surrounding her, are coloured and brought to life by video projections. Video and graphics are the real third actor in this piece.
a 2001 production by Ro Theatre and Muziek Lod director Guy Cassiers scenography Marc Warning video and graphics Peter Missotten, Wies Hermans and Kurt d’Haeseleer Premiere 7 November 2001 deSingel Antwerp
Kurt d'Haeseleer 