Exploring Theater and Spaces Through Sound. A podcast (in German) by the International Theatre Institute (ITI).

The theater landscape is as diverse as its architectural and spatial manifestations. How theater is performed in Germany depends to a large extent on where: whether it’s representative classicism or functional modernity, new construction or repurposing, proscenium or open-plan stages, the city center or the outskirts—it is always architecture and spatial practices, urban and socio-spatial contexts, that help shape the artistic program.

To mark the awarding of the 2026 Federal Theater Prize to four venues, this podcast explores theater through its architectural and spatial forms. Each of the four performance venues is brought to life through an auditory walk. Places and buildings are explored on foot—as a “Walk & Talk” between urban planner and theater scholar Dr. Juliane Zellner and a representative voice from each respective theater.

Episode #1: HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste

Where is this Hellerau? What stories does the Festspielhaus building tell? In which spaces is independent art produced here? A tour with Verena Eitel and Dr. Juliane Zellner through the grounds of Hellerau—the European Center for the Arts in Dresden.

Verena Elisabet Eitel is a theater and film scholar and dramaturg. She researches the uses of film and screen in performance settings as well as theater spaces and architectures. Together with Barbara Büscher, she has published HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste Dresden: Geschichte, Raumprogramm, kuratorische Konzeptionen und künstlerische Projekte.

Click to listen:

A project of the International Theatre Institute. Supported by the Fonds Darstellende Künste with funding from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.

Learn more about this year’s award-winning theater here: HELLERAU – Euopäisches Zentrum der Künste