Welcome to the End of the World

Perhaps not at the end of the world, but at one of its edges, in a small karaoke bar just around the corner, both Martha the waitress and Patrick the barman work. They live with their regulars and - whether big or small - listen to their stories: Veronika encounters a man who bears a strinking resemblance to her dead father, just as Albert and Eva meet there for one last time after their separation. Meanwhile Martha dreams of leaving to pursue a singing career – and on this day she received an invitation to an esteemed Competition, just as the media issues warnings of a nuclear attack. Little later a huge explosion changes everything and cuts all of them off from the outside world. What remains, though, is their communication with each other. The differing characters, among them documentary filmmaker Lisa, all of a sudden begin sharing everything with each other – as well as the camera. In humorous and existential conversations, they are connected by their hopes for a new tomorrow in a better world.

Playwright Maryna Smilianets writes for Schauspiel Stuttgart directly under the shadow of war, in the Ukraine and around Europe. She shows that life is complicated enough as it is – without the mention of wars, epidemics and lunatic dictators threatening with nuclear weapons. Using humour and irony, she tells of a world in which friendship, love, compassion and mutual responsibility matter more than ever.