Sophie Anna Veelenturf / BERLIN

Can (online) dating be a remedy against political polarization? In ‘Swiping Right’, Sophie Anna Veelenturf investigates what happens when political opposites meet in an intimate situation. What does ideology do to our dating world, desires and relationships? How do political differences influence the way we navigate between attraction and resistance? Based on her own experiences – in which dates with right-wing conservative men failed time and again – Sophie Anna, a self-proclaimed “left-wing girl”, translates her search to the stage. With humor and sharp dialogues, she brings theatrical re-enactments of interviews she conducted: with her dates, but also with, among others, politically mixed couples and academics. The result is an exciting encounter between ideology and intimacy, in which Sophie Anna flirts with stand-up comedy and documentary theater. In a ruthless, yet vulnerable way, she explores the boundaries between love and politics. In this way, she holds up a mirror to the audience and asks the pressing question: can opposites really attract each other? This first creation at BERLIN builds on her acclaimed master's thesis ‘Linkse Gaatjes’. Attention: This performance contains testimonies and interviews in which hurtful or discriminatory statements are discussed, such as transphobia, racism, sexism and stigmatization based on political preference and identity.