Futureland

The Argentinean director Lola Arias is a star in the documentary theatre scene. Not only have her pieces been shown throughout South America, but also at several theatres in Germany, including the Munich Kammerspiele, the HAU Hebbel am Ufer theatre in Berlin and Theater Bremen. Her works have debuted at international festivals such as the Wiener Festwochen, the Festival d’Avignon and the Theater Spektakel in Zurich. In her most recent productions, she has worked together with war veterans and refugees. As a stage director, she is known for approaching the life stories of her actors with respect and responsibility.
For her new production “Futureland”, Arias investigates the living situation of unaccompanied, underage refugees in Germany. She doesn’t focus so much on their stories of escape or the individual fate that awaits them, but rather the entrance process itself: What kind of world do these young people encounter when they come to Germany? The production reflects on the adolescents’ personal hopes and expectations, as well as their insecurity in view of the social demands placed on them.
Arias is developing the piece together with teenagers between 14 and 18 years old, who came to Germany by themselves from Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Guinea, Bangladesh. In the final production, these young protagonists will perform on stage alongside professional actors of the Maxim Gorki ensemble.

Artistic director: Lola Arias (AR)

With: Mamadou Allou Diallo, Ahmad Azrati, Fabiya Bhuiyan, Mohamed Haj Younis, Bashar Kanan, Sagal Odowa, May Saada, Sarah Safi