Theaterpreis des Bundes 2019
Jury statement
“Under the directorship of Katja Ott, the Theater Erlangen is positioning itself in the Nuremberg metropolitan region as the ‘municipal theater of the future.’ To mark its 300th anniversary in January of this year, it organized a forum with theater professionals, political representatives and the ‘ensemble-netzwerk’ on this topic and also carried out an internal mission statement process with all employees. As the largest art institution in Erlangen, a city of 110,000 inhabitants, it networks with other institutions such as the city’s landmark university, schools, clubs and the city library. With a public consultation hour for dramaturgy, it opens itself up to audience participation. In its program, it makes a mark with contemporary plays on the big stage and collaborations with renowned greats of the independent scene such as Hans-Werner Kroesinger and Turbo Pascal. With 14 female directors in 25 productions, Erlangen makes an important contribution to gender equality in German theater, and new talents are discovered and promoted in the competition for up-and-coming young directors.” – Jury statement