Theaterpreis des Bundes 2023
A celebration of the diversity of the performing arts: With the fifth Theaterpreis des Bundes, the Minister of State for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth, honored medium and small theater companies – and thus the artistic breadth of the German theater landscape. The 2023 award winners impressed with their artistic diversity, exemplary structures, the consistent aesthetic development of the performing arts and innovative strategies for expanding audiences, especially during the pandemic.
Award winners
In 2023, the Theaterpreis des Bundes was restructured: One award was offered in each of the categories of municipal & state theaters, private theaters & theaters hosting guest performances, and independent production houses, each worth €100,000, as well as the overarching Theaterpreis des Bundes, endowed with €200,000. The winners included:
„“The theatre Ballhaus Naunynstraße in Berlin-Kreuzberg stands for artistic perspectives of colour and offers numerous people an important space for reflection on post-colonial structures in everyday life and art.
A house like a beacon for the diversification of the German theatre business: not only did post-migrant voices become audible here for the first time, but the term post-migrant theatre as such was invented and coined here – the path of a Practice What You Preach in the development of programme, audience and personnel structures, which the current artistic director Wagner Pereira de Carvalho and his team have been consistently developing in the direction of crossectional diversity not only on, but also behind and in front of the stage for 10 years now. Ballhaus Naunynstraße thus creates a unique framework for the self-determined production of black, queer and artists of colour. Ballhaus Naunynstraße has a lasting effect on the development of artistic signatures: Numerous artists have realised their first productions here and over the years have produced a large number of high-quality works at the Ballhaus, often attracting national and international attention with their art.” – Jury statement" - Jury statement
„“The spearhead of a dynamic development in the performing arts that transcends existing boundaries between genres and forms of theatre: Like no other theatre in the heart of Berlin, the Theater Chamäleon stands for the further development of circus, from noveau cirque to contemporary circus, which unfolds its artistic and audience potential in such a way that old questions about underground or electronic culture, subculture or high culture, fixed or free are sublimated into physically palpable aesthetic energy. The theatre’s treatment of its resident artists during the pandemic was particularly exemplary: despite 18 months of closure, unpredictable conditions and no financial security, the Chameleon turned this time into a new start in terms of content and an artistic incubator for itself, including social security for the international companies, new co-productions and residency programmes as well as an increase in accessibility and audience encounters.” – Jury statement" - Jury statement
„“Even before its 25th anniversary year, many eyes were on this OFF theatre in Leipzig, Saxony and Central Germany: LOFFT stands for aesthetic innovation and artistic inventiveness, for cosmopolitanism and inclusion, but also for a team that not only works in an agile manner, but also attaches such great importance to its own professional networking and cultural-political positioning that LOFFT is one of the formative and exemplary nodes on the mental map of the independent performing arts. From the diverse contemporary artistic programme, the jury would like to highlight the in-house FORWARD DANCE COMPANY, which has been established in recent years. Here, a mixed-abled ensemble of six dancers works together with changing choreographers and has already achieved a clearly visible and sustainable development of new audiences after just a few years. LOFFT is characterised by the promotion of local young talent and supra-regional co-productions, by research and urban projects as well as guest performances by renowned artists, by audience expansion with staying power and a special focus on marginalised groups. In short, LOFFT’s conceptual approach, which has clearly been consistently pursued over the years, demonstrates a great awareness of the questions and challenges of our time. It deserves all our attention and the award of the 2023 Theaterpreis des Bundes in the Independent Production Houses category.” – Jury statement" - Jury statement
„‘Triumph of the provinces’ – ‘Germany’s most creative theatre ruin’: the Theaterhaus Jena in Thuringia is as impressive structurally as it is artistically and aesthetically, seeking both contemporary eye level and proximity to urban society. From ‘Geschichte meiner Steifheit’ to ‘Deutschkurs’ and ‘Leaving Carthago’ – whether with amateurs in the Mothers’ Choir, entertaining summer theatre or classical performances with the Philharmonic Orchestra – the continuing great response to the artistic work of Wunderbaum, Lizzy Timmers, Marten van Otterdijk and the Jena Ensemblerat proves that collective artistic work can also be successful in a small city. While others are still discussing the possibilities of transparent ownership, collective management and grassroots democratic control, a model that is unique in Germany has been practised here for more than 30 years: The Theaterhaus is a gGmbH that not only belongs exclusively to current and former employees of the theatre, but also fulfils its statutory mission of consistent artistic and structural operational research, not least with Wunderbaum and the model of an ensemble council." - Jury statement
Award ceremony
The award ceremony for the fifth edition of the Theaterpreis des Bundes took place on October 11, 2023 at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. The evening gave this year’s award winners a stage and focused on their innovative strength and their commitment to theater as a social space for reflection and aesthetic experience at the cutting edge – framed by live acts, music and interludes with the band Kara Delik and the playwright Sivan Ben Yishai, among others. The evening was hosted by journalist and TV presenter Salwa Houmsi from the show ZDF aspekte.
Jury
The overall jury decided on the awarding of the main prize across all categories. The jury was composed as follows for the individual prizes in the categories:
Category 1: Municipal & State Theaters:
- Nuran David Calis – director, playwright and screenwriter
- Dr. Gunnar Decker – journalist and author
- Anna-Katharina Müller – journalist and author
- Jessica Weisskirchen – director
Category 2: Private Theaters & Theaters Hosting Guest Performances
- René Heinersdorff – theater director and author
- Cornelius “Corny” Littmann – theater maker and entrepreneur
- Theresa Schütz – theater scholar and journalist
- Dorothee Starke – president INTHEGA
Category 3: Independent Production Houses
- Nina de la Chevallerie – producer, board member of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste
- Amelie Deuflhard – artistic director Kampnagel, board member of the Fonds
- Hannah Ma – performer, choreographer, curator
- Carena Schlewitt – artistic director HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste
- Nuran David Calisdirector, playwright and screenwriter
- Nina de la Chevallerieproducer, board member of the Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste
- Dr. Gunnar Deckerjournalist and author
- Amelie Deuflhardartistic director Kampnagel, board member of the Fonds
- René Heinersdorfftheater director and author
- Cornelius "Corny" Littmanntheater maker and entrepreneur
- Hannah Maperformer, choreographer, curator
- Anna-Katharina Müllerjournalist and author
- Carena Schlewittartistic director HELLERAU - Europäisches Zentrum der Künste
- Theresa Schütztheater scholar and journalist
- Dorothee Starkepresident INTHEGA
- Jessica Weisskirchendirector
Symposium: Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation – Shaping and Negotiating Cooperation
In the run-up to the award ceremony, a half-day symposium took place on October 11, 2023 at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. In panel discussions, moderated working groups and keynote speeches, the symposium discussed the potential and conflicts of cooperative forms of work in the performing arts – at a national and international level. What conditions are needed to anchor cooperation in the long term? How can a productive exchange succeed and how can hierarchies in cooperation processes be deconstructed? These questions should be negotiated and debated from various perspectives, including with the award winners.
The Theaterpreis des Bundes was awarded in 2023 by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. The project sponsor was the Zentrum Bundesrepublik Deutschland des Internationalen Theaterinstituts e.V. (ITI) in cooperation with the Fonds Darstellende Künste e.V.