Hörst
du mich?
Über viet-deutsche
Sprachlosigkeit
A play with music and dance by Benjamin Truong
How can we express our feelings when the environment has never been allowed to become familiar? What dynamics are at play when communication with parents breaks down? Is the language barrier to blame? How do we navigate these challenges as perhaps the first generation openly questioning them? In Hörst du mich?, three protagonists grapple with the silence that often accompanies such disconnects. »Hörst du mich?« is a theatre project that explores the breakdown of communication and language from the perspective of second-generation Vietnamese Germans. The narrative delves into the daily struggles between two cultures, the complexity of multiple identities, and the pervasive sense of generational loneliness. The goal is to create a space where those affected can find a sense of belonging—whether in cultures, languages, or within themselves.
Benjamin Truong
Benjamin Truong is a Vietnamese-German director. Inspired by hip-hop, he seeks to foster a sense of community and is deeply committed to the issue of accessibility in theater. Benjamin’s productions are created through the interplay of dance, music, and language, making theater accessible and sensory in a way that welcomes everyone. It is particularly important to him not to create theater that excludes his own parents. For him, theater is a place for everyone. He has directed at venues including the Salzburg Festival, Treibstoff Theatertage Basel, HochX Munich, and the Deutsches Theater Munich. In his work, Benjamin continues to explore Vietnamese-German themes to make them more visible in the German-speaking theater scene. “Can You Hear Me? – On Vietnamese-German Speechlessness” at HochX Munich and “Model Minority” at the Treibstoff Theatertage Basel are his most recent productions. Benjamin studied directing at the August Everding Theater Academy under Prof. Sebastian Baumgarten. He is a co-founder of the Vietnamese-German community “Pho our Community” in Munich and was a scholarship recipient of the German National Academic Foundation.
Instagram @benjamintruong ↗
Credits
Acting, Dance, Music: Minh-Thu Nguyen, Ngoc Anh Nguyen (ANOTHER NGUYEN), The Vinh Luong
Director: Benjamin Truong
Dramaturgy: Barbara Luchner
Set Design: Esther Abdelghani
Text and Dramaturgical Collaboration: Quang Nguyễn-Xuân
Production Manager: Tabea Hopmans
Translation: Nam Anh Nguyễn Quốc
Production Assistant: Vivien Kaluza
Photo: Daniel Nguyen
Graphic Design: Reisundpapier, Thị-Hường Trương
Supported by the Department of Culture of the City of Munich, the Performing Arts Fund, and the Association of Independent Performing Arts Bavaria e.V. as part of the Bavarian Revival Funding program of the “Independent Arts Funding Package 2025” with funds from the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. In cooperation with HochX Munich, Ballhaus Ost, and the OUTNOW! Festival.