Theaterpreis des Bundes 2017
Jury statement
“The Theater und Philharmonie Thüringen (TPT) is a “theater of the world” beyond the metropolises. A place where actors from Burkina Faso, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Romania and Greece come together – and not just for a short time as part of a guest performance, but as a permanent ensemble. This deliberate diversity continues to have an impact in both theaters: Altenburg and Gera currently employ staff from a total of 26 nations from across the world. The artistic program derived from this structure is unconventional. Instead of focusing solely on box office hits, the TPT focuses on marginalized, forgotten and repressed works in all genres. ‘Opera Rediscoveries of the 20th Century,’ ‘Landmarks in European History’ and ‘From Heaven Above – Faith and Society’ are some of main themes. With this program, the TPT is resistant to a mindset of constriction and isolation, but not closed off. Discourse is productive, says the theater’s director Bernhard Stengele, and not the flaw in the system.” – Jury statement