changes

Berlin, early morning, a kitchen. Nina and Mark, who have been a couple for over 20 years, are discussing the day ahead as they have breakfast together. Nina is a member of parliament, and aside from juggling numerous other responsibilities, is working hard to prevent the closure of a run-down women’s shelter. Mark used to be a successful corporate lawyer, but retrained as a primary school teacher following a burnout, and is now struggling to find his way in his new profession. After breakfast, they part ways. Nina leaves for the shelter and then later on goes to her office, where she is confronted with unexpected problems, while Mark heads to school and finds himself in challenging situations involving the schoolchildren and their parents … In the evening, when Nina and Mark meet again at home, their experiences of the day have changed both them and their relationship to each other. »changes« is a play about the difficulty of changing the world for the better, and the effort it takes not to lose oneself in the process. What compromises can one agree to without actually compromising oneself? How thin is the border between success and failure?

Thomas Ostermeier directs Maja Zade’s new play, which sees Anna Schudt and Jörg Hartmann return to the Schaubühne ensemble. The two of them play 23 roles: Nina and Mark as well as 21 other characters that the couple meet  on their respective paths through the day.