More than 30 years after reunification, 37-year-old composer Phillip, who grew up in the West, decides to leave his adopted home of Berlin following a painful breakup. He returns to his late father's childhood village in Saxony-Anhalt—a place his father fled from during the GDR era. Phillip’s mother, a nurse, also fled her homeland, escaping from North Korea to West Germany.
Seeking answers to his family's hidden stories and hoping to discover his own sense of belonging, Phillip moves into a guesthouse in the village. There, he encounters a group of locals, forms unexpected friendships, conceals parts of his identity, and struggles with a creative crisis. Over the course of a year—and against the backdrop of a region grappling with the rise of a xenophobic political party—Phillip delves into his family history while uncovering the secrets of the villagers around him.
And the Sky Above Us Is Another Country, explores themes of belonging, the concept of home, and personal identity in the aftermath of the Berlin Wall’s fall. With sensitivity and warmth, the play examines the intersection of diverse identities and histories during a time of political and social change.
The play is still in development, the first drafts were written as part of the playwright in residence at Deutsches Theater Berlin in the 23-24 season.