In many smaller theaters in Kreuzberg and Neukoelln, a different type of play is starting to take hold. Instead of classic or even contemporary works, these new works being displayed can be called “street works.” These productions focus on the problems that are going on in many immigrant neighborhoods, such as violence, alcoholism, family and unemployment, without anything held back. The characters are seen to be extracted right from the street, using German slang and mirroring those “gangsters” in real life. Even though these productions have received praise for their unfiltered depiction of what goes on in immigrant neighborhoods and beckoning people to change their perspectives of why the people who live in those neighborhoods have so many social problems, it has also brought criticism for being too naive of a view and simply continuing the popular thought that all immigrant neighborhoods and bad, without providing any ways to correct that viewpoint.
Nevertheless, it is interesting to see this type of work, not only focusing on the immigrant experience but also on the part of the immigrant experience that most people do not want to talk about. By bringing out the “street” in a more public feature, the productions are changing the view of regular Germans or 3rd generation immigrants, who often stay away from those neighborhoods and who view those neighborhoods as a place of decay. By showing the reasons behind why the neighborhoods are that way, it is bring a higher degree of integration. As more people understand the reasons behind the problems of the street, more people will, instead of shunning it, tolerate and accept it as a part of the culture.
