Category Private Theaters & Theaters Hosting Guest Performances
The Lindenhof Theater has been awarded the prize, worth €100,000, in the category of private theaters and touring venues. As a theater with deep regional roots, it combines poetic folk theater with social relevance and a strong educational mission. Through its original adaptations and mobile performances, it exemplifies the impact theater can have in rural areas.
“This award touches us deeply because it honors not only a single production, but the Lindenhof Theater as a whole. For 45 years, this theater has continued to develop thanks to the enthusiasm and courage of many people — on stage, in front of the stage, and behind the scenes. The fact that our poetic and critical theater, with its strong connection to the region, is gaining nationwide recognition confirms our work, makes us proud, and gives us momentum for everything that lies ahead.”
Jury statement
The Theater Lindenhof is a regional theater in the truest sense of the word: located in the Swabian Alb, it combines critical, poetic popular theater with a clear connection to the region’s history, everyday realities and cultural identity. In its productions, the Theater Lindenhof draws on regional themes and reflects on social developments.
In doing so, it consistently achieves an extraordinary balance between the past and the present, as seen in the production “Die ganze Hand,” which cleverly recounts the life of politician and resistance fighter Eugen Bolz, who formulated a “people’s right to self-defense” as early as 1934 and was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his belief in democracy and parliamentarianism.
Classic works are also adapted in original ways and continually reinterpreted. In doing so, the theater serves as a social gathering place that extends beyond theatrical performances. It functions as a cultural center offering diverse educational and outreach programs for various age groups. It is also a low-threshold, accessible meeting place for the local community.
The theater’s unique organizational and structural achievements must also be recognized: It is supported by a foundation, backed by partner municipalities and embedded in a network of regional partnerships and funding. Thus, since 1981, Stefan Hallmayer and his team have succeeded in continuously producing widely acclaimed and high-quality artistic work despite limited resources.
Theater Lindenhof’s productions are not confined to a local audience: touring the plays developed in Melchingen is an integral part of the theater’s practice and enables – thanks in part to a mobile open-air stage – theatrical encounters beyond the region. Community theater projects on regional themes and at authentic locations have mobilized up to 200 participants and foster vibrant historical education, exchange and solidarity.
These deep roots in the local context exemplify how the performing arts can develop social relevance in rural areas.
