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.