Theaterpreis des Bundes 2017
Jury statement
“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