Join Foreign Affairs, a migrant-led theatre company based in Hackney, and Professor Godela Weiss-Sussex (University of London) for an afternoon of theatre, conversation, and hands-on creative exploration.
Step inside the creative process of adapting Georg Hermann’s long-lost 1939 exile novel Die daheim blieben (Those Who Stayed at Home).
The afternoon begins with the first public reading of a scene set in Berlin in 1933, where a Jewish family confronts the ruptures in their lives after Hitler’s rise to power. Interwoven with the performance are resonances informed by the team’s own relationships to themes of home, rupture, and exile, connecting the novel’s world to our own.
Following the performance, audiences are invited to take part in a practical workshop exploring possibilities and processes of adaptation and asking ‘how to tell your own story’?
We will finish with an open Q&A with the creative team – an opportunity to exchange ideas, share reflections, and experience the work from the inside out.
Thursday 13 November
14:30–17:30
Reading, workshop and Q&A
Arrival with tea, coffee and refreshments from 14:00
Networking from 17:30 to 18:00
Venue:
Rose Lipman Building
43 De Beauvoir Road
London N1 5SQ
This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 6 – 15 November 2025. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org.
details
What To Expect:
Think of this as an afternoon in our rehearsal room: a chance to step into our creative lab, test ideas, and talk theatre. The event combines three elements:
Performance & Readings – see work developed over the previous days and experience the story come to life.
Short Creative Session – explore exercises from our rehearsal process and approaches to adaptation. You’re invited to try things out, but there’s no need to perform or share unless you want to!
Q&A & Reflection – hear from the cast, creative team, and academic lead, and share your thoughts in a relaxed discussion.
We’ll also include a short comfort break about halfway through the afternoon.
You’re welcome to join in as much as you like, or simply observe and test out ideas in your own way.
When It’s Happening
Schedule
14:00-14:30: Arrival, tea, coffee and refreshments
14:30-17:30: Reading, Workshop & Q&A (including a 10-minute break)
17:30-18:00: Wrap-up and networking
There will also be time before and after the main session to connect, reflect, and ease in and out of the event. The team will be around to chat about theatre, translation, and the creative process.
Who It’s For:
This event is open to theatre lovers, creative practitioners, and anyone curious about language, performance, and storytelling. Whether you make theatre, work with translation, or are simply interested in the themes we explore, all experience levels are welcome. In this one-off event, we’ll be looking at adaptation, translation, and historical material — a chance to step into our rehearsal room, experiment, and share ideas.
Where To Find Us
Rose Lipman Building
43 De Beauvoir Road
London
N1 5SQ
The Rose Lipman Building has step-free access.
You can find directions here (we’ll also send these to you in advance).
All the ways to find and reach us.
Email, location and access info — all in one place.