"We are criminals" sounds funny somehow but it is a German-Arabic theatre project that is currently being developed at the Theater Alte Werkstatt in Frankenthal.

"We are criminals" sounds funny somehow but it is a German-Arabic theatre project that is currently being developed at the Theater Alte Werkstatt in Frankenthal. The work "Die Räuber" by Friedrich Schiller which was premiered at the Mannheim National Theatre serves as the basis for the production. Together with a group of refugees the director of the TAW, Jürgen Hellmann, has managed to modernise and prepare the play in such a way that it can also be understood by refugees who have been in Germany for no longer than two years. For although the orignal text is difficutlto unterstand today, the actual theme of the story has not lost its importance. In this way the participants deal humorously with the difficult topic of escape which plays a major role in their lives as well as in  "We are criminals." The project wants to integrate without raising a finger and deals playfully with the different origins of the participants. One thing the project wants to show: These people are there and jsut want to join in. The jury of the BASF competition "Creating something new together" liked this motto so much that they decided to support the project financially. The premiere took place in the theatre Alte Werkstatt in Frankenthal on the 22nd of June.