This year, the Theaterpreis des Bundes, endowed with €200,000, goes to the Schwankhalle in Bremen, which not only knows how to reach the population of the smallest federal state itself, but also far beyond the state’s borders with its innovative, cutting-edge formats and sets exemplary artistic impulses for the German theatre landscape with its artistic program.
‘WE ARE DELIGHTED WITH THIS AWARD! IT ENCOURAGES US TO CONTINUE AND FURTHER DEVELOP THE COURSE WE HAVE TAKEN AS A MANAGEMENT TEAM SINCE 2022. WE SEE IT AS AN AWARD FOR THE SCHWANKHALLE VENUE AND FOR OUR TEAM, WHOSE HOSPITALITY, EXPERTISE AND CURIOSITY CHARACTERISE THE ATMOSPHERE OF THIS THEATRE. AND IT IS ALSO A TRIBUTE TO ALL OUR PREDECESSORS WHOSE LEGACY WE HAVE INHERITED.’
Jury statement
The Schwankhalle in Bremen’s Neustadt district is one of the central production houses in Germany. Its program includes the entire range of the performative arts, with topical positions from performance, theater, dance and music theater at a national and international level. At the same time, the Schwankhalle is a key booster of the independent scene in Bremen, offering local artists residencies, co-productions, performance and networking opportunities as well as cultural policy strategy advice and combining political theater with the art of warm hospitality. The new management team led by Anna K. Becker, Katrin Hylla and RahelHäseler has built upon the Schwankhalle’sprevious work in a remarkable way by expanding its local roots through new artistic formats and creating spaces for playing and thinkingfrom a variety of perspectives. From the “BootsballettmitBlechmusik” on Lake Werder, to the neighborhood “Schwankcore,” the “Open Schwankhalle”meeting format, the “Kindergericht” founded by children in Bremen, the flea market and regular games evenings – by developing a range of projects, the Schwankhalle takes on many of the tasks of a theater for the city and, with a large dash of artistic inventiveness, focuses on its potential as a third place by breaking down barriers and creating new access points for new audiences. Under the motto “making space,”marginalized voices and positions in particular are given visibility. The Schwankhalle is characterized by the holistic promotion of the independent scene, the presentation of courageous, outstanding positions and the initiation of an appreciative, supportive diversification process both internally and externally. What is particularly impressive is the balancing act between a high-quality, artistic state–of–the art program and the consistent and very convincing way of influencing the city and future public spaces in a refreshing and experimental manner. The Schwankhalle is the winner of the 2024Theaterpreises des Bundes and the jury is looking forward to many more groundbreaking and inspiring projects from Bremen.
