Roundelay

Through the passing of a golden baptismal chain, the fates of ten people are intertwined over the course of a century. They encounter each other in pairs, creating a kind of round dance – a dance that Arthur Schnitzler also chose as a structural principle for his play of the same name. In Birgit Weyhe's round dance, the narrative travels from Canada to Belgium, France, and Germany, all the way to Kenya. Whether in the trenches of World War I, under Nazi occupation, or during the Kenyan democratization process, each person associates different longings, hopes, or memories with the golden chain. It becomes a glorified talisman, a piece of stolen goods, a barter item, and a material bearer of hope.