„The Ernst-Barlach-Theater has been in Güstrow for 200 years and is the oldest preserved community theater in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Today it acts as a venue for guest performances in a structurally weak region with political challenges and, through its alternative cultural offerings, impresses with the way its program finds a balance between tradition and a more contemporary orientation. With a remarkable range of classical drama productions (in High and Low German), children’s and youth theater, ballet, cabaret and symphony concerts, the theater reaches a large number of visitors across all social groups. The newly initiated opening of the program for performative approaches and to the independent scene through cooperation projects in the field of contemporary circus and dance particularly impressed the jury. With extensive participatory encounters and educational offers, such as artist talks to convey different working methods and directorial styles, rehearsal visits, theater tours, workshops for children and young people and further training for teachers, the theater is exemplary in the way it anchors itself in the city and across the region. This is where the foundations are laid for creative cooperation, where senses are sharpened, democratic structures are learned and respectful interaction is practiced. With its work, the Ernst-Barlach-Theater sets a courageous example for cultural participation, tolerance and education and makes an indispensable contribution to strengthening society by promoting an open, enlightened dialog. And for this it receives the Theaterpreises des Bundes 2024 in the category Private Theaters & Theaters Hosting Guest Performances." - Jury statement
„The FELD Theater für junges Publikum in the Berlin district of Schöneberg is an innovative, inclusive and intergenerational production venue for artistic encounters and developments that impresses through its artistic and structural change in action. Since it opened in December 2018, the FELD has become an outstanding venue for young audiences that is rapidly developing and evolving, proving that even a small venue with a small team can achieve great things. Its explorative and participatory way of working, which includes close cooperation with daycare centers, schools and social actors, promotes political thinking and self-empowerment for young people as well as age-open approaches. In in-house productions and co-productions with a wide range of aesthetics, renowned artists and groups from the independent scene, who often stage productions for young audiences here for the first time, deal intensively with topics relevant to everyday life such as the environment, climate, sustainability and the future. In doing so, the theater opens up to the neighborhood while also being internationally networked through its collaborations. The jury would particularly like to highlight the theater’s focus on inclusion and the deaf community, something that is very consistently anchored both in terms of personnel and programming, such as through bilingual productions with integrated German sign language. Despite its young history, and with a keen eye for long-term processes, the FELD contributes significantly to progress and research in children’s and youth theater and gives hope for sustainable results in the form of significant knowledge production. For all this, it well deserves the 2024 Theaterpreis des Bundes in the Independent Production Houses category. " - Jury statement
„The Hessisches Landestheater Marburg (HLTM) is setting standards for other theaters nationwide with the “Marburg Model,” the first equal (female) dual leadership at a publicly funded theater. Through an artistic management constellation that consciously engages with discourses critical of power, it promotes a modern and responsible working environment: artistic directors Eva Lange and Carola Unser-Leichtweiß practice a leadership style that is both exemplary and pioneering, manifesting itself in equal pay, democratic decision-making processes and family-friendly working hours with the long-term goal of establishing a “care-centered theater business.” However, the HLTM not only impresses in terms of its operational structure by trying out new approaches; since its launch, the team has succeeded in mastering all the requirements and challenges of a regional theater with limited resources and, despite the difficult situation in terms of space, presenting ambitious, contemporary spoken theater, initiating diversification and opening up processes at an artistic level and taking into account the preferences of a wide variety of audiences. The commitment to writers and the (local) promotion of up-and-coming young talent is remarkable: the “Studio Marburg,” a joint acting studio with the University of Art and Design Graz and the HMT Frankfurt, enables students to gain valuable practical experience and thus sustainably strengthens the future theater landscape. The HLTM impresses with its courage to be uncomfortable in the best societal sense, illuminating the most diverse geographic and social perspectives with its artistic work and for this it is being awarded the 2024 Theaterpreis des Bundes in the Municipal & State Theaters category. " - Jury statement
„The Schwankhalle in Bremen’s Neustadt district is one of the central production houses in Germany. Its program includes the entire range of the performative arts, with topical positions from performance, theater, dance and music theater at a national and international level. At the same time, the Schwankhalle is a key booster of the independent scene in Bremen, offering local artists residencies, co-productions, performance and networking opportunities as well as cultural policy strategy advice and combining political theater with the art of warm hospitality. The new management team led by Anna K. Becker, Katrin Hylla and Rahel Häseler has built upon the Schwankhalle’s previous work in a remarkable way by expanding its local roots through new artistic formats and creating spaces for playing and thinking from a variety of perspectives. From the “Bootsballett mit Blechmusik” on Lake Werder, to the neighborhood “Schwankcore,” the “Open Schwankhalle” meeting format, the “Kindergericht” founded by children in Bremen, the flea market and regular games evenings – by developing a range of projects, the Schwankhalle takes on many of the tasks of a theater for the city and, with a large dash of artistic inventiveness, focuses on its potential as a third place by breaking down barriers and creating new access points for new audiences. Under the motto “making space,” marginalized voices and positions in particular are given visibility. The Schwankhalle is characterized by the holistic promotion of the independent scene, the presentation of courageous, outstanding positions and the initiation of an appreciative, supportive diversification process both internally and externally. What is particularly impressive is the balancing act between a high-quality, artistic state–of–the art program and the consistent and very convincing way of influencing the city and future public spaces in a refreshing and experimental manner. The Schwankhalle is the winner of the 2024 Theaterpreises des Bundes and the jury is looking forward to many more groundbreaking and inspiring projects from Bremen. " - Jury statement
