CITY OF
STRANGERS

THEATER BONN
PREMIERE — 14.06.2017

Director: Stefan Herrmann
Choreography: Sonia Franken
Stage and Costume Design: Maria Strauch

Participants:
D. Thüringer, S. Reithmeier, C. Bähr, F. Nayf, C. Geisen, M. Hosseini, A. Schaper, M. Taskin, M. Kafouri, Y. Bahaduri, R. Rezaei, S. Faisal

Is an integrated society possible? What conditions and circumstances make it possible to become one people? How do young refugees and young locals meet each other and connect? 

Together with an ensemble of 15 young people aged 10-18 – refugees who are accommodated in Bonn as well as locals of different origins who have been living here for a long time – we have been examining with these questions over a period of more than six months and have developed a poetic theatre-project based on Peter Handke’s play DIE STUNDE DA WIR NICHTS VONEINANDER WUSSTEN.
This play does not contain a single spoken word but consists of a choreography of short and long encounters between different characters in a fictional place that could be anywhere in Europe.  

During rehearsals, the participating refugees and locals have contributed their own cultural backgrounds, typical behaviour patterns from their respective countries, and very personal life experiences to the development of the project and their character on stage.  As the encounters of the young people intensify, a sensual, colourful world theatre emerges – until the audience gets the feeling that perhaps a people comes together as one.