As part of InResidence 2026, we have selected artist Polina Borodina (Russia/Germany) to develop her project "Five Minutes Younger" over a two-month residency. During this period, the artist will focus on writing a new full-length play.

"Five Minutes Younger" follows a man searching for his sister, who disappeared while walking the Camino de Santiago. In an attempt to find her, he retraces her journey through Portugal and Spain, crossing the landscapes she encountered and following the traces she left behind. Along the way, he experiences the generosity of strangers, yet feels compelled to question every gesture, as though doubt itself might bring him closer to the truth.

Exploring absence, family conflict and human violence, the play examines what we are capable of when faced with someone's disappearance and the impossibility of understanding certain actions. Although set along the Camino de Santiago, "Five Minutes Younger" moves away from the narratives traditionally associated with pilgrimage: rather than a story of spiritual searching, it is a play about family, loss and the nature of violence.

As part of her residency at A Turma, Polina Borodina will offer the community a writing workshop aimed at those interested in developing contemporary fiction and non-fiction through stories that engage readers and establish connections between individual experience and the world around us.

Throughout the sessions, the workshop will explore the construction of narratives and plots, drawing on observation, experience and our relationship with reality as possible starting points for writing. Some of the proposed activities will involve gathering lived experiences, bringing the writing process closer to observation and direct engagement with the world.

Participation is free, but registration is required.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Polina Borodina is a Berlin-based playwright and artist whose practice spans contemporary theatre, documentary theatre and interdisciplinary theatrical forms. Her work combines documentary approaches with poetic imagery and fictional narratives, exploring the relationships between landscape, memory and personal stories. Her writing frequently intertwines drama and tragedy with the humour and absurdity of everyday life, addressing complex subjects without being driven by trends.

Born in 1990 in Yekaterinburg, she has a background in contemporary art, literary writing and psychology. Her plays have been staged internationally, with over 50 productions in countries including Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

Since 2022, she has lived and worked in Berlin, developing theatrical and literary projects at the intersection of documentary theatre, site-specific performance and contemporary playwriting. That same year, she curated an independent anti-war playwriting festival in Berlin, established in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

She was an artist-in-residence at the Deutsches Theater during the 2024/2025 season, where she led the theatre and playwriting laboratory "No!stories". Between 2024 and 2025, she created "WALD", a site-specific performance project conceived as a walking experience through the Grunewald Forest.

In 2025, her work as a dramaturg on "Das Land das ich liebe" was presented at the Weimar Festival and received attention in the German press.