Braidhurst had the pleasure of hosting a German theatre performance organised by the Goethe Institute this week.   Pupils studying Higher German in schools throughout North Lanarkshire Council were invited to view the play ‘Uber die Grenze ist es nu rein Schritt’, written by the acclaimed German director Michael Muller and starring German actors Janna Lena Koch and Patrick Abozen.   The play tells the story of an African youngster who has been living in Germany for five years.   However, when it emerges that he and his family are living in the country illegally, the situation threatens to get out of control.   It is a tragic yet comic German play for young people and draws attention to issues such as migration as well as exploring themes relevant to young people, such as identity, dreams and the search for self-issues which are just as relevant and important in the UK as they are in Germany and beyond.

Pupils engaged in a follow up question and answer session with the actors and director themselves, and thereafter divided into groups to take part in three workshops, focusing on the topics of ‘Characters and Plot’, ‘On the Run’ and ‘Friends and Family’ in order to further develop the pupils’ comprehension of the play and their linguistic competencies in German.

All pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience and made use of the opportunity to improve their German listening and speaking skills, as well as making new friends from other schools.