Jury statement

“Theater Naumburg is de facto a newly founded theater: In 2009, it was transformed from a puppet theater into an ensemble theater. Since then, it has developed a program for all generations as the smallest municipal theater in Germany – and since 2015 in particular, when Stefan Neugebauer took over as artistic director, it has reached far into the small but historically rich town, conquering churches, museums, courtrooms – and the audience. With just four members of the ensemble, for example, it also succeeds in staging Goethe’s “Faust” at two different venues – sticking close to the text and yet original. With the award we would like to honor this commitment as well as the courage of the municipality in creating its own ensemble in an era when the tendency is rather to close ensembles and theaters.” – Jury statement