A few weeks ago, my school’s German classes had the pleasure of being visited by the ‘Onatti Productions’ theatre company, who performed an original play in German called ‘Der Babysitter’ (which you may be able to guess translates to The Babysitter).

I was originally apprehensive about understanding the play, with only my extremely shaky knowledge of German to guide me. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I laughed, the humour transcending any language barrier. One of the most important things to note was the immense skill of the actors. The two actors played multiple roles, changing costumes and tone in seconds and acting so expressively and enthusiastically, that a crowd of boisterous students sat in complete silence, captivated.

The comedy, acting, and enthusiasm made the production a wonderful experience, but what set ‘der Babysitter’ apart was how interactive it was. There were many instances where some of my peers were called onto stage, asked to deliver lines and act out parts of the story, gaining cheers from every audience member, all of whom were on the edge of their seats.

Furthermore, I cannot overlook the educational aspect of the performance, not only did I learn several words that I can’t imagine learning in a classroom, such as ‘Gehirnerschütterung’ (concussion) but also general phrases that are great for any situation, like ‘Geh raus!’ (Get out!).

All in all, the experience with Onatti theatre company was amazing! It was hilarious, easy to understand, and completely engaging. So if you are interested in improving your listening and comprehension skills, I totally recommend it!