A piercing music theater piece about family, loss, and the destructive power of unspoken words.
A family gathers for a celebratory dinner in honor of the grandfather’s 80th birthday. For the first time since the passing of the grandmother, they are all seated together again. But what begins as an apparently harmonious reunion quickly turns into a suffocating confrontation. The void she left behind is palpable—not only in the empty chair at the head of the table but in the way everyone struggles to reclaim their role.
Beneath the surface, tension simmers. Conversations unravel, old wounds are reopened, and long-suppressed anger finally finds an outlet. The family dynamic is out of balance, and each member clings to their own version of the truth. Words become weapons, the dinner table a battleground. Instead of truly listening to one another, they retreat into their online echo chambers—virtual sanctuaries where their beliefs are reinforced, and their anger is amplified. The gap between their digital personas and their real selves grows wider, fueling more misunderstandings and deepening the divide.
WHEN DID YOU LEAVE? is a raw and gripping music theater piece that pulls the audience into an oppressive family dinner with no escape. Through razor-sharp dialogue, suffocating silences, and a soundtrack that makes the tension tangible, this performance lays bare the painful fractures within a family—and within society itself. What happens when language no longer connects but divides? If we can no longer understand one another—how can we ever find our way back?
Where words fall short, the body takes over. At first, there is resistance—bodies stiffen, trapped in the pain and distance that language has left behind. The tension seems insurmountable—until the body begins to speak. Out of the chaos, a rhythm emerges, a movement that starts hesitantly, touching only one person, but gradually pulling in more and more family members. Not through words, not through arguments, but through a shared physical language, a new layer of connection is formed—a wordless conversation where distance softens, comfort becomes tangible, and hope cautiously finds its place among moving bodies.
Urgency and Relevance
The greatest social challenge of our time is bridging differences.
The necessity of When Did You Leave? stems from both bewilderment and curiosity about the polarization and anger within our society. We live in a time where democratic values are wavering due to populism, fake news, and increasing individualism—where inequality continues to rise.
Due to digitalization and anonymity, people no longer feel seen. Isolated groups withdraw into their own bubbles, each convinced of their own truth. A growing number of citizens feel disconnected from society, unheard, and unrepresented. Many disengage completely. Some radicalize.
By staging these situations, we shed light on the often difficult-to-understand emotions and motivations of those who have drifted away or become radicalized. Our aim is to depolarize by dismantling rigid thought barriers. We then promote inclusivity by inviting people to look at one another with curiosity and to seek new points of connection.
With When Did You Leave?, we offer tools for behavioral change, hoping to foster deeper mutual understanding and extend a hand to those who feel left behind, helping them reconnect with society.
Research-Driven Music Theater
Driven by our commitment to societal impact, our creative process has evolved over the years from an initially intuitive approach into a research-driven, socially engaged methodology. We believe that the intersection of the arts, society, and science should and can form a much deeper and broader alliance.
In recent years, we have experienced firsthand how much knowledge and inspiration we gain from collaborations with scientists and social partners. This allows us to create artistic works (and the in-depth programs surrounding them) that engage the creative mind, spark curiosity, and inspire audiences to take action and make their voices heard. Our growing awareness of the arts’ power to instigate social change continues to deepen.
We consistently leave an indelible impression on our audiences, offering them new, deeply personal insights. As a result, music theater has become not just an artistic goal but increasingly a means to encourage conscious citizenship—building toward a more inclusive and empathetic society through emotional resonance and artistic expression.
