Pátria Estrangeira / Foreign Homeland

Brazilian-German theatre project by Jürgen Berger, Mirah Laline & ensemble

The Brazilian-German co-production “Foreign Homeland” tells the story of descendants of German immigrants in Brazil. In and around Brazil’s metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, there are numerous people of German descent in every social class. In fact, 30 percent of all inhabitants of that state have German ancestors who came to Brazil from Germany in several waves over the past 200 years. In the 19th century, the majority of German immigrants were poor farmers, while during the global financial crisis around 1920, most of the new arrivals were working class families. Later, Brazil was a destination for those who suffered persecution under the Nazis, and after the war, former Nazis sought refuge there to escape prosecution. German is still spoken in some immigrant families even today.
Against this background, the German author Jürgen Berger has researched and written a play which has been directed by the Brazilian stage director Mirah Laline. Together with the performers, actors and musicians, Laline has used biographical information and interviews to create a docu-fictional piece about homeland and belonging, but also immigration and integration policy issues. For example, how does identity-building work in families with an immigrant background? To what degree do members of immigrant communities position themselves conservatively against their new homeland? And what parallels can we draw to the current situation in Germany?
Performances have been staged in Porto Alegre and Karlsruhe with additional guest performances in Germany and Switzerland.

Author: Jürgen Berger
Stage director: Mirah Laline (BR)
Video: Maurício Casiraghi (BR)
Production managers: Daniela Mazzilli (BR), Primeira Fila Produçỡes
Artistic director / dramaturgy: Jan Linders
Ensemble: Camila Falcão (BR), Martina Fröhlich (BR), Karin Salz Engel (BR), Philipe Philippsen (BR), Thomas Prenn

Additional Dates:

Theatre performances, Goethe-Institut Porto Alegre: 30 Aug. 2018 (world premiere)
additional performances 31 Aug., 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 Sep. 2018;

Guest performances, Pfalzbau-Bühnen Ludwigshafen

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Previous events

  • 20 September, 2018 : Premiere

    Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Studio , Karlsruhe

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