Hoffnung auf größeres Wohlbehagen (UA) at Nationaltheater Mannheim

The Kurpfalz area of Germany has traditionally always been characterized by migration - for example, Mannheim in the 16th and 17th centuries was a place of refuge for many who suffered religious persecution, and also from the 17th to the 19th centuries many thousand people from the Pfalz and Odenwald left their homes and emigrated: »The hope for a better life drove these people into distant parts of the world. They were not scared by any danger. All the warnings and bad news from these areas were viewed as lies, and the only truth was the letter that told how a poor European became a rich American.« described the situation a priest from the Pfalz at the beginning of the 19th century. In the second half of the 20th century, Germany experienced a giant wave of labour immigration: millions of »guest workers«, mainly from south and southeast Europe came with »tanta fame e buona volontà« (great reputations and goodwill) as Antonio Giorgio Daniela sang - with great hunger and desire to Germany to try their fortune.

In the 21st century, the globalized world community migrate more than ever and in all directions. For religious, social, economic, political or personal reasons people are compelled more than ever to leave their homeland and try to realize somewhere else their hope for a better life.

House director Dominic Friedel examines in this production what has changed over the centuries and what has stayed the same. As a basis he will use emigrant letters, songs of guest workers and the stories and histories of people who experienced migration in Mannheim.