Theaterpreis des Bundes 2021
Jury statement
“The Theater an der Ruhr in Mülheim has been a unique feature on the scene for over 40 years. A true theater of the future that, since its founding in 1980 by Roberto Ciulli, Helmut Schäfer and Gralf-Edzard Habben, has negotiated with visionary power all those discourses that are indispensable for a contemporary art venue. It sees itself not only as a non-hierarchical collective of artists (with the involvement of all the employees at the venue), but also as a theater in constant motion. Traveling for the purpose of cultural exchange is a basic principle of the ensemble; in return, international artists (from Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and the countries of former Yugoslavia, among others) regularly make guest appearances at the theater. Cultural diversity and migration (Ciulli himself came to Germany from Italy in 1965) were thus a topic here long before other theaters began to address them. Sven Schlötcke, managing director and long-standing member of the artistic direction, has consolidated this program as part of the upcoming generational change and further anchored the theater in the post-migrant urban society. Groups such as Anagoor from Italy, Kumbaracı50 from Turkey and Ma’louba from Syria work continuously in Mülheim, the ‘Ruhrorter’ project has been implementing theater and installation works with refugees since 2012, while director Philipp Preuss, a new member of the artistic direction, is expanding the art space with his multimedia works. The theater of the future cannot ignore the debate about the threat to our future: in the talk series “Hammerthaler’s Zeit für Zukunft,”climate activists, scientists and politicians regularly enter into dialog to discuss how to save our planet Earth. For this groundbreaking work as an artistic space for diversity and socio-political visions, the jury awards the Theater an der Ruhr the Theaterpreis des Bundes.” – Jury statement