海角大神

The countdown has begun. Only minutes remain before the houselights will dim. Martina Droste guides her young actors at the Frankfurt Theater.

鈥淧ut your hand on your head.... Feel your body,鈥� she says. Heads bend forward. Eyes close. After the mindfulness exercise, the 15 youths are ready to perform 鈥淔rankfurt Babel,鈥� their version of the biblical story that deals with language and people understanding each other.

The actors in Ms. Droste鈥檚 ensemble come from five continents. Half of the youths are refugees who fled war-racked homelands and have come together in Frankfurt, a city of glass towers, international business, and people from more than 100 nations. The other half are locals. All were drawn from a pool of 150 applicants, who met for the first time 10 weeks earlier. For six hours a day, often five days a week, they have worked under Droste鈥檚 direction to create 鈥淔rankfurt Babel.鈥�

鈥淲e will build a tower as high as the sky.鈥� Using that adaptation of one of the Bible passages as a backdrop, the youths let out thoughts 鈥� by speaking in their own languages, as well as by drawing with chalk on the floor and moving around. Gradually, the cacophony of all talking at once gives way to a consensus: 鈥淲e want to explore what type of richness comes out of merging our languages and experiences.鈥� That sentence is repeated and translated into most of the actors鈥� 22 native languages, including Persian, Pashto, Italian, and Greek 鈥� becoming the rhythmic mantra of the performance.

鈥淔rankfurt Babel鈥� was performed 25 times here on one of Europe鈥檚 most respected stages. It鈥檚 part of Droste鈥檚 youth theater project, which has given hundreds of young Frankfurters a platform to consider and debate some of society鈥檚 most explosive issues, from refugees to the meaning of Europe. The youths take an active role in shaping the works, which are part theater, part performance art.

In a country that believes the performing arts can nurture the growth of its residents, Droste鈥檚 youth theater project aims to do just that. It has encouraged tens of thousands of theatergoers to think about big issues in new ways, and it鈥檚 changed the lives of many of the young actors 鈥� who are part of the generation that will be helping to shape Europe for decades to come.

Theater is about 鈥済etting together, coming into a discussion on an eye-to-eye level, about learning how to use the skills of every individual to develop something new together,鈥� Droste says. 鈥淢y hope is that, with the contribution of the young people鈥檚 ideas and concerns, we can build a future that we want to live in.鈥�

In the early part of her career, Droste worked with troubled youths attending a public school near her native Bochum, which is in an industrial, struggling corner of Germany. She knew that 鈥渨hen kids are disruptive, there鈥檚 always a reason.鈥� Instead of stigmatizing them or trying to 鈥渃hange them,鈥� she experimented with role-playing games, among other things. 鈥淚 loved to be creative,鈥� she says.

As a Feldenkrais practitioner, she believes in the power of movement to help release thoughts and emotions. Her work with the youths was a bit like improvisational theater without an audience. She saw the toughest of kids open up.

She made theater the core of her work with young people. After being trained as a theater educator, she set up a theater program at a youth center in Mitten, Germany, and she saw it boost young people鈥檚 鈥渟elf-confidence and make them more socially responsible citizens.鈥�

In 1996, she helped the main public theater in Dortmund, Germany, develop opportunities and projects for young people. Seven years ago, when people at the Frankfurt Theater sought to boost such opportunities for the young people living here, it was Droste they called.

No script to learn by heart

In her productions, Droste doesn鈥檛 give her actors a plot to follow or a script to learn by heart. The plot develops gradually during the rehearsals. 鈥淲e give them the place, the stage, our time, our energy, and our techniques to come together,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hat the projects are about depends on what is developed in the group.鈥�

Staged about 25 times each and seen by a wide audience, Droste鈥檚 productions are now a regular part of the Frankfurt Theater鈥檚 repertoire. Their themes are far-reaching. In 鈥淎nne,鈥� which along with 鈥淔rankfurt Babel鈥� earned recognition in national competition, young actors used the story of Anne Frank to deal with issues of rebellion and xenophobia. In 鈥淎ll Inclusive,鈥� youths with disabilities and youths without disabilities interacted. In 鈥淯nited in Peace and Freedom,鈥� local teens and young refugees explored what type of Europe they want to live in.

Droste 鈥渋s doing magnificent work of integration and collaboration with the teenagers,鈥� says Marilina S谩nchez Garc铆a, a school principal from Oria, Spain, who saw 鈥淔rankfurt Babel鈥� with other educators from Europe鈥檚 four corners while they were in Frankfurt to work on an initiative to bring school-age children together. 鈥淪he shows us the strength and power that we can have all together. It doesn鈥檛 matter where you are, or your language: Everybody can communicate.鈥�

Droste鈥檚 greatest achievement, say community leaders in Frankfurt, is to make theater done by the young people of this diverse city an established force on its main public stage. 鈥淲ith her, the voices of young people gained respect and credibility,鈥� says Andrea Pollmeier, cofounder of Faust Kultur, an online magazine based in Frankfurt.

Droste鈥檚 productions have also served as a counterweight to rising populist sentiments. While some politicians have described refugees, and Europe itself, as threats to national identities, Droste and her actors have called on society to try embracing change. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important that the public views young people through the prism of their own voices,鈥� Ms. Pollmeier says.

What is freedom?

Take the performance of 鈥淯nited in Peace and Freedom,鈥� in which the young actors share answers to the question, What is freedom?

鈥淔reedom is when I can have a religion but don鈥檛 have to do everything the religion says,鈥� says Ahmed, a refugee from Syria whose last name is withheld for safety reasons. Rosina Totzer, a Frankfurt local, argues, 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e free or not.... You can鈥檛 be completely free, but you can feel free.鈥� For high-schooler Lu Pahl, 鈥渇reedom has to do with courage 鈥� to have the courage to use the freedom, because it can be scary at times.鈥�

In the end, all the actors agreed, saying together: 鈥淲e have decided to connect, and nothing will stop us.鈥�

During a public discussion following the performance, Lu admitted that Europe had been a distant topic for her, but that 鈥渨orking with Martina was the best thing that ever happened to me.鈥� Performing, she said, taught her 鈥渢o think twice about every word I say and to think about what I think.鈥�

Daniela Romeo is a public-school teacher, most of whose students don鈥檛 speak German and have little chance of going to university. But for many, participating in the theater workshops that Droste offers has been life-changing. 鈥淢artina Droste deals with questions that my pupils ask themselves,鈥� she says. But it鈥檚 not just young people Droste reaches. 鈥淚 know she sends theatergoers home with questions in their minds,鈥� Ms. Romeo says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a victory.鈥�

Jamshid Shahin is a student of Romeo鈥檚 and a 鈥淔rankfurt Babel鈥� actor. When Droste approached him a year and a half ago, the Afghan teen felt a bit lost. He鈥檇 arrived in Frankfurt four months before, alone, by foot, becoming one of the estimated 3,000 unaccompanied refugee minors who landed in the metropolitan area in 2015.

鈥淢artina said, 鈥楾hink about it. I鈥檓 coming back in one week,鈥� 鈥� Jamshid recalls. Two weeks later, he took the plunge, entering Droste鈥檚 rigorous casting process, and was selected. 鈥淲ith Martina, I learned how to get my feelings out,鈥� he says.

鈥淎t first we were strangers to each other, but after two weeks we got really close,鈥� Jamshid adds. 鈥淕irls, boys, Afghans, Germans 鈥� we had the feeling that we are a family.鈥� By giving him a voice and a place on the stage in his new home, Droste helped Jamshid become one of Frankfurt鈥檚 own teens. Now, he is graduating and is weighing apprenticeship options.

鈥淚 always wanted a good future, and now it鈥檚 all come together,鈥� he said recently in the hallway of his school. 鈥淚t all started with 鈥楤abel.鈥� 鈥�

How to take action

UniversalGiving helps people give to and volunteer for top-performing charitable organizations around the world. All the projects are vetted by UniversalGiving; 100 percent of each donation goes directly to the listed cause. Below are links to two groups with an arts component, an educational purpose, or both:

Supporting Kids in Peru helps disadvantaged children realize their right to an education. Take action: Be a creative arts leader for this program.

Nepal Youth Foundation assists girls who were rescued from the kamlari system of child slavery in becoming independent young women. Take action: Help rebuild classrooms in Nepal.