An interactive play about national identity, politics and change.
For 11 -13. / SEK II
Nominated for the Ikarus Prize 2020
London 2026. A Government with autocratic tendencies is in power. New laws affecting taxes and immigration have been passed in parliament. A young woman who grew up in Great Britain but possesses a German passport, a Brazilian activist and an Australian influencer meet in Safestay Hostel. The new laws are making life difficult for the Finnish owner and the guests. Should they obey the law or take action against it? The Brazilian woman wants to take to the streets and demonstrate, the young woman who grew up in Great Britain is afraid, the influencer is undecided and the Finnish owner wants to avoid trouble in her hostel at all costs. The repressive government is threatening the foundations of democracy and in banning the demonstration is violating the right of free speech.
Nominated for the Ikarus Prize 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlkWH6_uVIY
With Marcela Dias, Ona Nurkkala, Olivia Dean, Sebastian M. Weissbach and Rachel Pattison
Director Anja Scollin
Stagedesign Kerstin Junge
Costumes Sebastian Ellrich
Music Jeanette Hubert
Dramaturgy Sveta Azriel
Video Sebastian M. Weissbach
Lightdesign Claudine Castay
Duration 70 Minutes
Premiered 24th October 2019 at ufaFabrik
Preise
Ikarus Preis 2020 - JugendKulturService
What does it mean for a democratic society when populist and nationalist thoughts gain more and more power? In multicultural London, an autocratic politician seizes power. He is already enforcing increasingly restrictive laws, while the protagonists from the "Safestay Hostel " are still discussing whether and how to protest. The more the story progresses, the more we feel that we are in the middle of it - both in the events of the play and in its theme, related to the real world. We viewers soon have no time for passivity: while the populist woos us in his flaming direct speech, the hostel residents interactively get us out of our chairs during discussions. The production gains more and more momentum and the viewers soon feel uneasy, after all, how would they have acted? The consequences of right-wing populist slogans are shown here in a highly topical and target-group-oriented way.
Zitty 2019
„Rehearsed applause, the possible election victory of a right-wing conservative party – Tony Rice, the leader of the party is celebrated. Peter Scollin’s performance is so convincing that it creates discomfort in the audience. Science Fiction, drastically near to out present times. (…) The play tells the scary story of what could happen if ‘Foreigners – go home’ slogans are put into practice. And England is only an example of what is happening in Europe right now.(…)” (4 out of 5 stars)
Pia Glasemann from Leibniz Gymnasium, Potsdam
”The interactive parts helped me to remain attentive and made me think about my privileges even more. As I mentioned before, the play dealt with current topics that are relevant for students in a quite realistic way. I identified with some of the problems the characters were faced with. This highlights for me that they tried to be as close to reality as possible. (…)
Every actor did a great job! It was so much fun watching people who are passionate about what they are doing. Furthermore, the language was well understood, so we could easily follow the dialogs. The costumes were well thought of and I liked the idea of almost every character changing their costumes throughout the play. We discussed the symbolism of the colours in class.
All in all, the play “Safestay Hostel” offers a great mix of fun, interaction, and serious topics. I definitely can recommend watching it!"
Students from Kopernikus Gymnasium
”We loved the way you used the camera for different aspects.(...) The acting was amazing. (….) The tweets are great. (…) We liked the topics politics, racism, family trouble and money problems."
9. Schulpraktisches Seminar
"Your approach to break the fourth wall was very motivating and activating. Students obviously enjoyed being involved - before, during and after the play. The elements of modern communication and current political issues are of our students daily life and therefore highly relevant"
