Nobody is Home

The Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) in Manila and the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater in Schwerin are collaborating on joint production based on the topic of caregiving. On account of its aging population, Germany relies on caregivers from abroad. And a large percentage of these have been recruited from the Philippines in recent years. In fact, ten percent of the Philippine population are so-called “overseas workers” – people who work abroad and send their earnings to their families back home. While researching care work and migration, the stage director Nina Gühlstorff and author Liza Magtoto conducted interviews with caregivers, activists and administrators. The project partner, the Goethe-Institut in Manila, plays an important role in the recruitment process as it offers German courses to the Philippine candidates. The leading characters in the play are a female migrant worker and a German woman, who has moved her parents into a nursing home. In this project, art serves as a means to scrutinise and rethink the (im)balances of power at both the local and global level. Performances are planned in Manila, Schwerin and Parchim.

Artistic director / text / stage direction: Nina Gühlstorff, J-mee Katanyag, Liza Magtoto
Participants: Eric de la Cruz, Anne Grunert, Philipp Klose, Marouscha Levy, Bene Manaois, Icee Po

Performances: Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), Manila: 7 – 10 Aug. 2025; M*Halle, Schwerin: October 2025; Kulturmühle, Parchim: October 2025