In offering an account of teaching and performing Nurkan Erpulat and Jens Hillje's "Verrücktes Blut" (2010) with advanced German students, this article reflects on the theme of cultural identity, particularly with regard to current issues related to migrant populations. As a play that showcases theater as a transitional space where linguistic and cultural identities may be negotiated, and where social and linguistic agency are interdependent, this particular play affords many rich learning opportunities for language students in today's global context. The play's ingenious staging devices -- formulated as a play within a play within a play -- provides an ideal opportunity for investigating the complexities and nuanced difficulties of ethnic identity and cultural expectations.