Theaterpreis des Bundes 2017
„“The ETA Hofmann Theater Bamberg sailed under new sails and a fresh new wind in the 2015/16 season. The artistic director Sibylle Broll-Pape has succeeded in setting out in a new direction with a young, committed team of actors and staff who have embarked on a creative collaboration with the tried and tested forces of the theater. The jury was impressed by the way the artistic director not only ‘opened up’ the theater, as she announced and so often demands today, but also entered into unusual contacts and collaborations. In the first season, under the motto ‘Heimat – What is German?’ comedies were unearthed, classics staged and new plays presented: Hebbel’s ‘Nibelungen’ met Konstantin Küspert’s ‘Rechtes denken’ and Roland Schimmelpfennig’s immigration society play ‘Das schwarze Wasser.’ There was also ‘The German Soul’ evening in cooperation with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. The very unconventional mixture required courage and risk, and this was demonstrated by the participants alongside a high level of commitment on, around and behind the stage. The city’s students flock to the performances, but the long-established audience is also enthusiastic about the new direction. Committed thinking and social criticism characterize the spirit of the house. Reflecting on today with works from the past and a constantly surprising look at the present arouses curiosity. Theater that interferes, exposes and at the same time demonstrates humor and wit: a carbuncle in Franconia, which suits its namesake very well.” – Jury statement " - Jury statement
„“When it comes to the Lichthof Theater in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, the jury was impressed by the great courage with which this small theater provides a production and performance venue for both experimental forms of theater and the Hanseatic city’s up-and-coming artists. In doing so, the Lichthof enables a variety of theatrical formats in a wide range of genres, from drama to musical theater, dance to performance. It cooperates with influential institutions in the city and also in far-reaching supra-regional networks. It’s clear that theater artists find competent and cooperative contacts for their plans and projects here. Lichthof thus makes a distinctive and indispensable contribution to the theater scene in Hamburg and far beyond.” – Jury statement
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„“The Schaubude Berlin is one of the most important puppet theaters in Germany. It thus continues a specifically East German puppet theater tradition without allowing itself to be pinned down to one aesthetic signature. On the contrary: with its diverse collaborations, festivals, programs to promote young talent, its offerings for all age groups, its crossing of genre boundaries and its determined search and research movements into digital worlds, this small theater is one of Berlin’s creative engines.” – Jury statement
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„“With the sophiensæle, the jury honors its continuous work for the independent scene in all its varieties in the center of the capital. Under the artistic direction of Franziska Werner, the sophiensæle has succeeded in continuing and further developing its collaboration with independent groups in terms of content. Although the house has limited resources, it is a lively place for exchange and discussion among artists and in the city. The theater has also succeeded in supporting internationally renowned artists from various disciplines, such as Milo Rau and Lea Moro, and developing their work together with them. In terms of content, in recent years the theater has increasingly pursued an examination of post-colonialism and queerness, thus setting the tone for the future. In addition to its important function for dance, and not only in Berlin, it is dedicated to new forms of music theater and thus represents the diversity of the independent performing arts in an exemplary manner. The sophiensaele exists alongside the networks of the major production houses and yet is highly visible, not only locally, right in the heart of society.” – Jury statement
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„“After decades of continuity, tanzhaus nrw made a fresh start in 2014 with Bettina Masuch as its new artistic director. Since then, local connections have been strengthened and youth work in the junges tanzhaus has been continued. The venue has also gained an international appeal through its close collaboration with the ‘factory artists.’ With thematic focuses such as ‘Real Bodies’ and ‘Zusammen,’ the theater has also turned its attention to social issues that are reflected in artistic aesthetics. Situated between a place of education and a ‘community space,’ tanzhaus nrw also builds a bridge to the current international discourses with conferences such as ‘Inventur 2.’ The tanzhaus nrw thus succeeds in connecting the artistic avant-garde, contemporary issues and urban society, which in practical terms has a home there in the form of dance. The theater uses its focus on dance to create a community in motion.” – Jury statement
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„“The Theater der Jungen Generation Dresden (TjG) is a children’s and youth theater that defies any classic definition. Adults who get their hands on the program, which focuses on international projects and research, want to go there themselves. The TjG offers theater for all ages from 2+ to 16+ and far beyond. Its artistic themes are decidedly contemporary, without denying the complexity of current issues, problems and upheavals. One focus of the program is on theater and digital media. Democracy research takes place in the Generator, a spatial installation set up in the studio of the new venue Kraftwerk Mitte. Like any good researcher, the TjG never loses sight of the past and enters into unusual alliances. ‘Der Fischer und seine Frau’ by Einar Schleef based on the Brothers Grimm, which premiered at the Dresdener Puppentheater in 1974 and was banned immediately after its premiere, was restaged in the 2015/16 season in a co-production with the Hanoi State Youth Theater. In a deeply divided city, the TjG emphasizes that it wants to be a theater for everyone.” – Jury statement
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„“Theater Naumburg is de facto a newly founded theater: In 2009, it was transformed from a puppet theater into an ensemble theater. Since then, it has developed a program for all generations as the smallest municipal theater in Germany – and since 2015 in particular, when Stefan Neugebauer took over as artistic director, it has reached far into the small but historically rich town, conquering churches, museums, courtrooms – and the audience. With just four members of the ensemble, for example, it also succeeds in staging Goethe’s “Faust” at two different venues – sticking close to the text and yet original. With the award we would like to honor this commitment as well as the courage of the municipality in creating its own ensemble in an era when the tendency is rather to close ensembles and theaters.” – Jury statement
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„“The Theater und Philharmonie Thüringen (TPT) is a “theater of the world” beyond the metropolises. A place where actors from Burkina Faso, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Romania and Greece come together – and not just for a short time as part of a guest performance, but as a permanent ensemble. This deliberate diversity continues to have an impact in both theaters: Altenburg and Gera currently employ staff from a total of 26 nations from across the world. The artistic program derived from this structure is unconventional. Instead of focusing solely on box office hits, the TPT focuses on marginalized, forgotten and repressed works in all genres. ‘Opera Rediscoveries of the 20th Century,’ ‘Landmarks in European History’ and ‘From Heaven Above – Faith and Society’ are some of main themes. With this program, the TPT is resistant to a mindset of constriction and isolation, but not closed off. Discourse is productive, says the theater’s director Bernhard Stengele, and not the flaw in the system.” – Jury statement " - Jury statement
The Theaterpreis des Bundes was awarded in 2017 by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The project sponsor was the Zentrum Bundesrepublik Deutschland des Internationalen Theaterinstituts e.V. (ITI).