1000 AIRPLANES ON THE ROOF

1000 Airplanes on the Roof by Philipp Glass and David Henry Hwang portrays a woman, M. who has been abducted by aliens and returns to a life that doesn’t make sense anymore. Working with an all FLINTA+ team, director Paige Eakin Young stays far away from a parable of being kidnapped. Together with performer and musician Mara Snip as her partner in crime, creates a horny space opera about love, care, being vulnerable, being seen, and T4T. In dialogue with soprano Sarah Bodle the music comes to life.

M. describes her extra-terrestrial encounters as spoken text over the repetitive and minimalist music composition by Philip Glass (1988). She looks back on her life, on her own painful memories, while trying to make sense of her reflection in the mirror. In search of joy and empowerment, she starts celebrating her experience of otherness and transition. Drawing on their own experiences of living as trans women, director Paige Eakin Young and performer Mara Snip guide their audience through a playful exploration of desire, shame and joy.

Team

WITH Mara Snip und Sarah Bodle

MUSICIANS Sarah Taylor Ellis, Karola Elßner, Alba Gentili-Tedeschi, Holly Volker Schlott, Rachel Susser

DIRECTION Paige Eakin Young CO-DIRECTION Mara Snip COMPOSITION Philip Glass TEXT David Henry Hwang MUSICAL DIRECTION Sarah Taylor Ellis CHOREOGRAPHY Friederike Heine, Julia B. Laperrière DRAMATURGY Anne van de Wetering SET AND COSTUME DESIGN Ana Ines Jabares-Pita LIGHT DESIGN Catalina Fernandez ASSISTANT DIRECTOR / PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT Anika Stauch/Morghan Welt

PREMIERE 23 October 2025
LANGUAGE In English, with German surtitles

NOTE Strobe-light effects are used

presented by

by Philip Glass (Music) and
David Henry Hwang (text)

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Team