Jury statement

“The HELIOS Theater has continuously expanded its appeal as a children’s and youth theater since moving from its founding location in Cologne to Hamm (1997). Under the artistic direction of Barbara Kölling (director) and Michael Lurse (playwright), interdisciplinary productions such as ‘Gegenüber’ (4+) are created, a play that, together with a video artist, poses the question of digital reality. Particularly noteworthy is the programmatic focus on a ‘theater for the very youngest (2+),’ in which HELIOS is a pioneer and which it supports with academic research in cooperation with other EU countries. Aesthetically, many of its productions are characterized by object and material theater and as a result function without speech – one more reason for the ensemble’s worldwide invitations to guest performances, which have also included two artists from Iran since 2017/18. With the biennial focus of the international theater festival ‘hellwach’ and not least through the committed networking work on site with schools or in the intercultural ‘Café Welt’ for refugee families, the HELIOS Theater succeeds in bridging the gap between local and international commitment.” – Jury statement