Title
THE MAIDEN NAME

Ema, an insecure feminist, is at her sister Ana’s bachelorette party in her new fancy smart
house with their mother, grandmother, and the maid of honor, whom she has just met and
with whom she does not share any values. It’s not much different with her own family, but
they have grown used to Ema’s silly ideas, such as opposing the patriarchal concept of
marriage. Ema deeply wants to share this moment with her sister and their family. Yet, she

finds it increasingly difficult to accept the patriarchal norms embedded in traditional, female-
centered rituals. Although she is in a long-term, stable relationship, her partner is excluded

from the family picture because he is not her husband. Furthermore, even though she is the
only one who will keep her maiden name, she remains the black sheep of the family. At the
same time, Ana presents herself as modern, proving it through her smart home system, which
has reduced household chores to a minimum, but she remains blind to the patriarchal
patterns hidden in technology. While they all try to celebrate what turns out to be a fake
bachelorette party, navigating different approaches to marriage and traditional values, Ana’s
smart house starts to disobey orders.

Mentor - Maria Milisavljevic

Biography

Ivana Vuković (Croatia, 1992) holds an MA degree in Dramaturgy and a BA degree in Literature. Her plays and devised theatre performances are staged in institutional theatres, on the independent scene, performed as radio plays, and awarded at national and regional theatre festivals and competitions.