Karate Billy Comes Home

Synopsis

After being under suspicion of planning to defect, Billy was thrown into a mental institution for 13 years. Determined to uncover the truth, Billy’s quest reveals a disturbing and pitiful web of Stasi-controlled informers that had ensnared his community. This play is one of the first post-1989 works to tackle the complex process of Vergangenheitsbewältigung, a German term referring to the struggle to come to terms with the past. Through Billy’s journey, the play explores the profound difficulties faced by individuals and society in confronting and overcoming historical traumas.