Politics in Free Theater

Politics in Free Theater is a theater festival organized by the Federal Agency for Political Education / bpb . It has existed since 1988 and has taken place every three years in changing German cities since 1993; so far in Bremen , Dresden , Berlin , Hamburg , Stuttgart , Cologne and Freiburg . On show are productions from the independent theater scene that deal with various socio-political issues. Every festival has a wide-ranging supporting program.

history

“Politics in Free Theater” emerged from the discussions in the last third of the last century about positions, priorities, methods and target groups of political education. In particular, the action orientation should expand or at least complement the methods of political education, therefore one oriented among other things to the medium theater. At the end of the 1980s, however, the German city and state theaters were not very suitable partners for political education. It was often no longer decipherable for the viewer and only seemed to be concerned with itself. Against this trend , the independent theater scene tried to make a name for itself by aligning itself more closely with the audience and setting clear political and social accents. The independent theaters were finally strengthened by citizens' initiatives and newly formed social and ecological movements. It was against this background that the idea for the “Politics in the Free Theater” festival was born, which the Federal Agency for Civic Education organized in cooperation with the state headquarters in Bremen in 1988, and which will then be held as a triennial from 1993 onwards . Cities with a population of 220,000 or more can apply.

Bremen 1988

From September 23 to October 2, 1988, the first festival “Politics in Free Theater” took place in Bremen in cooperation between the federal and state headquarters for political education. According to the program, it was the Federal Central Office's goal "[...] to give impetus to record plays with a strong political character in a committed manner, to deal with political issues as a writer and to offer the highest possible quality that attracts viewers to the venues." Further: "From the point of view of political education it is of course a special concern to understand theater, like film, as an attractive starting point for the discussion of political events in order to generate openness for other measures of political education." This claim, however, contradicted reality. The profile of the festival, which was still diffuse in several respects, therefore required an internal clarification process with the involvement of experts, so that the federal headquarters only came out again after five years with "Politics in Free Theater".

• Program and organization: Theater-Forum Köln Karl Reichmann
• Festival contributions: The Consul and the Terrorist by Omar Saavedra Santis , Narrator Stage Berlin, D: Victor Tapia; The Croatian Faust by Slobodan Šnajder, Theater an der Ruhr , Mülheim, D: Roberto Ciulli; The kiss of the spider woman by Manuel Puig, Comedia Colonia, Cologne, D: Meinhardt Zanger; The mechanical Bauhaus stage by Kurt Schmidt and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Theater der Klänge, Düsseldorf, D: Jörg U. Lensing; The time between dog and wolf. A piece for Peter Handke , Theater Mahagoni, Hildesheim, D: Stephan Müller; Gestapo files Karl S. by Kurt Matenia, Gelsenkirchen Theater People, D: Kurt Matenia; Jacket and pants by Manfred Karge, Echo Theater Saarbrücken, D: Monika John; Kassandra by Christa Wolf, Theater im Packhaus, Bremen, D: Evelyn Fuchs; Class enemy of Nigel Williams, Werkstatt Theater Unna, D: Wolfram Lenssen; Night conversation with Fidel after an interview by Frei Betto, Schauspielhaus Zürich, D: Res Bosshart (the production is shown in the program booklet as a production by the "Theatergruppe Baden / Schweiz", which, however, never existed; it was rather a production by the Schauspielhaus Zürich ); Othello by William Shakespeare, bremer shakespeare company , D: Chris Alexander; Oui by Gabriel Arout, Theater Kohlenpott, Herne, D: Rüdiger Brans; Sculpture by Barbara Karger, Thomas Stich, Karsten Itterbeck, Antagon Pantomimen-Theater Essen; Public abuse by Peter Handke, OFF-TAT Frankfurt, D: Birgitta Linde; Born Guilty by Peter Sichrovsky, Jubilee Ensemble, Bonn, D: Christoph Pfeiffer.
• Prize jury: Kurt Hübner (chairman), actor, director and general manager, Bremen; Hanna Hurtzig, Kampnagel, Hamburg; Karl Reichmann, Theater Agent / Theater Forum Cologne; Siegfried Schiele, Director of the State Center for Political Education Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart; Reiner Schweinfurth, theater critic, Berlin; Cornelia Weiblen, theater critic, Munich.
• Prize winners: Jubilee Ensemble, Bonn ( born Schuldig ); Theater Mahagoni, Hildesheim ( The time between dog and wolf ).

Dresden 1993

The decision to continue the project was made against the background of the process of German reunification . The decision to organize “Politics in Free Theater” in one of the new federal states was quickly made . Even if there was only a sparse independent theater scene in the east, the bpb hoped to be able to address many viewers directly through the festival. There were two reasons for choosing Dresden as the venue. First of all , Dresden was - apart from Berlin - the only city in the new federal states that had an independent theater scene as early as 1990. On the other hand, Dresden had acquired the reputation of being a stronghold of growing right-wing radicalism . Precisely because of the collision between a lively independent theater scene on the one hand and the new right-wing radicalism on the other, the bpb decided in favor of Dresden. The 2nd festival “Politics in the Free Theater” finally took place there from October 28th to November 7th 1993.

• Program and overall organization: Karl Reichmann, Hanna Hurzig, Richard Weber , Margarete Häßel.
• Festival contributions: Bent - Rosa Winkel by Martin Sherman, Theater in der Basilika, Hamburg, D: Friedrich Briesemeister; Brother gang by Rainer Iwersen, bremer shakespeare company , D: Rainer Iwersen; The end of the poor house according to Isaak Babel, Teatr Kreatur , Berlin, D: Andrej Woron; The necessary and the superfluous or The Freedom in Krähwinkel by Johann Nestroy / Karl Kraus, WuWei Theater, Frankfurt / M., D: Rolf Johannsmeier; The castle by Franz Kafka, Healing Theater, Cologne, D: Michael Dick; Because it is the machine in them that dreams of tenderness by Michael Wildenhain, Freies Schauspiel Berlin, D: Bernd Mottl; The Peace of Aristophanes, Compagnie de Comédie, Rostock, D: Joachim Lemke ; The Obelisk after Wladimir Sorokin, European Workshop for Art and Culture Hellerau, Dresden, D: Carsten Ludwig; The Downfall of the Egoist Fatzer by Bertolt Brecht, Orphtheater, Berlin, D: Thomas Roth; Der Zwerg by Pär Lagerkvist, Teatron Theater , Arnsberg, D: Yehuda Almagor; The Dixtine Chapel by Matthias Dix , statt-theater FASSUNGSLOS, Dresden, D: Frank Schubert; Dirty Work by Maishe Maponya, DIALOGtheater Dresden, D: Pieter Hannecom; Once I live from Natascha Wodin, Gilla Cremer, Hamburg, D: Max Eipp; Heilige Kühe by Oliver Czeslik, Theater Much Ado About Nothing , Munich, D: Eugenia Naef; Jonteff - A festive day with my Dibbuks , Adriana Altaras , Berlin, D: Peter Kock; Kohlhaas after Heinrich von Kleist, Das Kleine Theater - Theater des Lachens , Frankfurt / O., D: Astrid Griesbach ; Condensed milk panorama by Georg Seidel, theater 89 , Berlin, D: Hans-Joachim Frank, My Mother's Courage by George Tabori, Zelt Ensemble Theater, Tübingen, D: Otto Kukla; Poland Pond by Thomas Strittmatter, Theater Lindenhof , Melchingen, D: Bernhard Hurm; Sink Big , Die Traumtänzer, Frankfurt, D: Michael Kaiser; Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare, bremer shakespeare company, D: Pit Holzwarth; Wayna Capac , LOT Theater, Braunschweig, D: Carlos Cueva; Weisman and Rotgesicht by George Tabori, Theater Mahagoni, Hildesheim, D: Ensemble.
• Prize jury: Silvia Brendenal, director of the German Forum for Puppet Theater and Puppetry, Bochum; Gabriele Hänel, actress and director, Berlin; Manfred Karge (chairman), actor, director, author, professor of directing at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, Berlin; Werner Schulze-Reimpell , theater critic, Hamburg; Herbert Wulfekuhl, Director of the State Center for Political Education Bremen.
• Prize winners: theater 89, Berlin ( condensed milk panorama ), statt-theater FASSUNGSLOS, Dresden ( Die Dixtinische Kapelle ); European Workshop for Art and Culture Hellerau, Dresden ( The Obelisk ); Susanne Truckenbrodt, Orphtheater, Berlin (Actress Award); Dietlinde Elsässer, Theater Lindenhof, Melchingen (Actress Award); Ralf Bockholdt, Thomas Jahn and Frank Pannhans, Das Kleines Theater - Theater des Lachens, Frankfurt / Oder (Actor Prize)

Bremen 1996

The 3rd festival took place in Bremen from November 15 to 24, 1996 and took place against the background of a changing theater landscape: economic problems had long had a lasting effect on productions. The financial shortage in the communities , like the massive austerity measures in the cultural budget , hit the independent theater scene hard. As a result, the number of independent theaters in East Germany fell drastically after a euphoric increase in the years of reunification. But the economic constraints also left their mark on the established and traditional West German theaters. In this situation, the “Politics in Free Theater” festival had a stabilizing effect.

• Program and overall organization: Richard Weber , Margarete Häßel.
• Festival contributions: Amiwiesen by Kerstin Specht, Chawwerusch Theater , Herxheim, D: Gaby Burckhardt; Fear eats souls by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, D: Werner Schretzmeier; The cherry orchard by Anton Chekhov, Theater des Lachens, Frankfurt / Oder, D: Astrid Griesbach ; Der Regenwettermann by Alfred Matusche, theater 89, Berlin, D: Hans-Joachim Frank; The Tower by Peter Weiss, Compagnie de Comédie, Rostock, D: Manfred Gorr; Die Kommandeuse , Gilla Cremer, Hamburg, D: Johannes Kaetzler; Fear and Hope in Germany by Franz Xaver Kroetz, Gostner Hoftheater, Nuremberg, D: Mario Holetzeck; Henri IV - King for Europe , Free Workshop Theater, Cologne, D: Rolf Johannsmeier; Herakles 5 by Heiner Müller, German-Greek Theater, Cologne, D: Kostas Papakostopulos; King Richard II by William Shakespeare, bremer shakespeare company , D: Rainer Iwersen; Meinwärts, Raimund Hoghe, Düsseldorf, D: Raimund Hoghe ; Night or day or now. A witch story from the Swabian Alb by Bernhard Hurm and Uwe Zellmer, Theater Lindenhof , Melchingen, D: Bernhard Hurm; Oleanna by David Mamet, Young Theater Bremen , D: Claudia Oberleitner; Orlando Nuñez or Die Firma forgives a moment of madness by Rodolfo Santana, Schnürschuh Theater / Chinelo Theater, Bremen, D: Reinhard Lippelt; Primadonna, Heavy Hero by Wolfgang Spielvogel, Barbara Englert, Frankfurt / Main, D: Wolfgang Spielvogel; Immediate enlightenment incl. VAT by Andrew Carr, theater production Punktum, Munich, D: Pez Hitzginger; Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare, Jubiläumsensemble, Bonn, D: Frank Heuel; Wessis in Weimar by Rolf Hochhuth , Theater Links der Isar, Munich, D: Hartmut Baum.
• Prize jury: Wolf Bunge, director, director of the Freie Kammerspiele Magdeburg; Rotraut de Neve , actress; Henning Rischbieter (chairman), theater scholar and theater critic, Berlin; Siegfried Schiele, Director of the State Center for Political Education Baden-Württemberg; Michael Wildenhain , writer, Berlin.
• Prize winners: Barbara Englert , Frankfurt / Main ( prima donna, heavy hero ); theater 89, Berlin ( The Rainy Weather Man ); Lindenhof Theater, Melchingen ( night or day or now. A witch's story from the Swabian Alb ); Schnürschuh Theater / Chinelo Theater, Bremen ( Orlando Nuñez or Die Firma forgives a moment of madness )

Stuttgart 1999

The 4th festival in Stuttgart from November 17th to 27th, 1999 was designed as a platform for young directors who were on their way to the city and state theaters. They benefited from the fact that there was a great need for junior staff. German theater directors had neglected to promote the next generation for too long . It was hoped that talented directors from the independent theater would be refreshed. For the first time, it was considered the forecourt of the city theater. “Politics in Free Theater” created the impression of a stage on which young directors could present themselves. In terms of content, the preoccupation with political and social issues had increased significantly. There were various reasons for this. Societal and social contradictions had become more and more visible, as well as the need for public debate. Theater that dealt with political subjects thus became "socially acceptable" again.

• Program and overall organization: Richard Weber , Christiane Görres
• Festival contributions: Barefoot naked heart in hand by Ali Jalaly, Arkadas Theater, Cologne, D: Ali Jalaly; The payment is not made by Dario Fo, Theaterhaus Stuttgart , D: Werner Schretzmeier; Danton's death by Georg Büchner, Theater des Lachens, Berlin, D: Astrid Griesbach ; The last executioner - a selection , Theater an der Winkelwiese , Zurich, D: Elias Perrig; Elektra after Sophocles, Theater K., Aachen, D: Guido Rademachers; Guests from Oliver Bukowski, theater 89, Berlin, D: Hans-Joachim Frank; Genetics Woyzeck after Georg Büchner, European Workshop for Art and Culture Hellerau, Dresden, D: Harriet and Peter Meining; Tales from the Secret Annex - Anne Frank wasn't alone , Alarm! Theater, Bielefeld, D: Ensemble with Cora Herrendorf (Teatro Nucleo); Today is a beautiful day by Gritt Uldall-Jessen, LOT-Theater, Braunschweig, D: Ensemble; Hinkemann by Ernst Troller, Theaterhaus Jena , D: Sebastian Hartmann ; Kanak Sprak by Feridun Zaimoglu , BB Production, Hamburg, D: Birgitta Linde; King Henry VI. by William Shakespeare, bremer shakespeare company , D: Rainer Iwersen; König Übü or Mother Übü also needs money from Alfred Jarry, Materialtheater, Stuttgart, D: Sigrun Kilger / Alberto García Sánchez; Leviathan by Dea Loher , Theater Rampe, Stuttgart, D: Eva Hosemann; Lucas, Me and Me after Agota Kristof, Ensemble Sandra Strunz, Hamburg, D: Sandra Strunz; Medea - the deadly competition according to Euripides, RambaZamba, Berlin, D: Gisela Höhne; Melchinger Winterreise by Peter Härtling, Theater Lindenhof , Melchingen, D: Christoph Biermeier; Piccoli Angeli - Little Angels by Marco Baliani, WuWei Theater, Frankfurt / M., D: Miriam Goldschmidt; Tears mockery of Ferdinand Bruckner, wehrtheater hartmann, Berlin, D: Sebastian Hartmann ; Umschlagplatz *, running step *, tail parade * - * in original German , Marburger Theaterwerkstatt, D: Rolf Michenfelder; Zombie '45 - Am Bass Adolf Hitler , Gruppe Stemann, Hamburg, D: Nicolas Stemann ; Two voices , theatergroep Hollandia, Zaandam / Netherlands, D: Johan Simons .
• Prize jury: Crescentia Dünßer, director, actress and theater manager, Zurich; Benedikt Gondolf, editor at the ZDF culture magazine "aspekte", Mainz; Burkhard Jellonnek, Head of the State Center for Political Education Saarland, Saarbrücken; Christoph Müller, editor-in-chief of the "Schwäbischer Tagblatt" and theater critic, Tübingen; Hannes Rettich, professor for cultural management, Stuttgart; Friedrich Schirmer (chairman), acting director of the Stuttgart State Theater; Barbara Englert, actress, Frankfurt / Main.
• Prize winners: LOT-Theater, Braunschweig ( Today is a beautiful day ) - also received the 3sat Prize; Theater an der Winkelwiese, Zurich / Switzerland ( The last executioner - a selection ); theatergroep Hollandia, Zaandarn / Netherlands ( two voices ); Theaterhaus Jena ( Hinkemann ); Marburg theater workshop ( Umschlagplatz *, running step *, tail parade * - * in original German ); RambaZamba ( Medea - the fatal competition ), Berlin (special jury prize).

Hamburg 2002

The central theme of the 5th festival was the mobilization of all energies of flexible, perfectly functioning, always available people and work and unemployment, thus the brave new world of the New Economy and the steadily growing urge for greater flexibility. A new aspect of the festival, which took place from October 22 to November 2, 2002, was the increased role of women in the theater landscape. Compared to previous years, the number of women directors had increased significantly. Another change in the theater was shown by the gradual networking of the free and the city and state theater, which were once considered hostile brothers. The rapprochement made it possible for free projects to have better production possibilities and thus ultimately a higher qualification of artistic work. The gain for the state and city theaters lay in the relatively inexpensive enrichment of the program offer, greater artistic versatility and the retention of new audiences.

• Program and overall organization: Richard Weber
• Festival contributions: Abendrot_Ballermann - a female answer , Liebfrauentheater, Munich, D: Sonja Breuer; Antigone from and to Sophocles, Theater des Lachens, Berlin, D: Astrid Griesbach ; Baal by Bertolt Brecht, Orphtheater, Berlin, D: Susanne Truckenbrodt; boombar by Gila von Beh, Lubricat, Berlin, D: Dirk Cieslak; Dead End , Freuynde + Gaesdte, Münster, D: Zeha Schröder; The three lives of Lucie Cabrol by John Berger, Metropol Theater, Munich, D: Jochen Schölch; Drift. A mobile club evening for the stage , unitedOFFproductions, Braunschweig, D: Dieter Krokkauer; Heidi Hoh 3. The interests of the company cannot be the interests that Heidi Hoh has from René Pollesch, production Heidi Hoh 3, Berlin, direction; René Pollesch ; I Furiosi - The Furious based on the novel by Nanni Balestrini, Theaterhaus Stuttgart / Württembergische Staatstheater Schauspiel, D: Sebastian Nübling ; Children of the beast or of the wonderful fool's talent to believe in people according to David Grossmann "Keyword: love", Teatron Theater / figuren theater tübingen, Arnsberg / Jerusalem / Tübingen; R: ensemble; Koppstoff according to Feridun Zaimoglu , koppstoff-ensemble, Berlin, D: Dominic Huber; Mainstream by David Greig / Suspect Cultur, Theater an der Winkelwiese , Zurich, D: Gian Manuel Rau; Nachtmahl by Eva Diamantstein , production Nachtmahl, Munich, D: Eva Diamantstein; Out of Control by Michael Fengler / RW Fassbinder "Why is Herr R. Amok running" and John Cassavetes, Norton.commander.productions , Dresden, D: Harriet Maria and Peter Meining; Shoot it, department store! by Martin Heckmanns, Theaterhaus Jena and TIF Dresden, D: Simone Blatter; Daily bread from Gesine Dankwart, Theaterhaus Jena and TIF Dresden, D: Christiane Pohle; TRUTH - Commissioned by the heart of darkness , TRUTH-Produktion, Berlin, D: Hans-Werner Kroesinger / Rob Moonen.
• Prize jury: Thea Dorn , writer; Gerhard Jörder , freelance journalist; Renate Klett , critic and publicist; Lukas Langhoff, director.
• Prize winners: Theaterhaus Stuttgart / Schauspiel Stuttgart ( I Furiosi ) - also award from the ZDFtheaterkanal; Theaterhaus Jena / TIF Dresden ( daily bread ); Metropoltheater Munich ( The three lives of Lucie Cabrol ).

Berlin 2005

The 6th festival in Berlin from November 10th to 20th, 2005 brought another innovation: It was no longer about clearly political-social issues, but also offered space for other projects. One focus was on cross-border forms, i. H. artistic projects between performance , theater, visual arts , music, and direct political action.

• Curator: Sabrina Zwach
• Festival contributions: Actors of Disappearance according to Gustave Flaubert's »Education of Emotions«, Theaterhaus Weimar , D: Janek Müller; Alibis , Hofmann & Lindholm , Cologne, concept and D: Hofmann & Lindholm; Antifascism amusement park , Deutschbauer & Spring, Vienna; Chateau Europe - the super asylum seeker! , Schauplatz International, Biel / Bern / Berlin, D: Ensemble; Cocobello by Dietmar Lupfer and Peter Haimerl, Munich, Dead Cat Bounce , Chris Kondek, Berlin, D: Chris Kondek; The Polizey based on an idea by Friedrich Schiller, Theaterhaus Jena / Norton.commander.productions , Dresden, D: Peter and Harriet Maria Meining; Grenzgänger , fringe ensemble, Bonn / phoenix5, Münster, D: Frank Heuel; Heb (b) el-Hamlet - As we (still?) Like it , 400asa , Zurich, D: Samuel Schwarz; Come home! , mamouchi, Berlin / Basel; Campfire , She She Pop , Hamburg / Berlin; Live from AFRIKA by and with Christoph Schlingensief ; Marx , electronic music theater, Frankfurt / M., D: Ensemble; Mnemopark , Theater Basel , concept and R .: Stefan Kaegi; Mongopolis fish or duck - a science fiction crime comic , RambaZamba, Berlin, D: Gisela Höhne; mother t. , Theaterhaus Gessnerallee, Zurich, D: Barbara Weber ; perform performing by and with Jochen Roller, Berlin; Think Tank: The Taste of Victory , Compagnie for Preemptive and Sustainable Debate (PNAC), Berlin, D: Ensemble; This Performance , Künstlerhaus Mousonturm , Frankfurt / Gasthuis, Amsterdam, D: David Weber-Krebs.
• Prize jury: Gesine Danckwart , Berlin (writer); Thomas Irmer, Berlin (publicist); Dirk Pilz, Berlin (editor)
• Prize winners: The jury of the Goethe-Institut, consisting of Martin Berg, Florian Malzacher and Jukka-Pekka Pajune, awarded its prize to Chris Kondek ( Dead Cat Bounce ), who also received the ZDFtheaterkanal prize. The jurors at the Federal Central Office selected the Mnemopark production from the Basel Theater, which, however, turned down the award.

Cologne 2008

The 7th festival “Politics in Free Theater” took place from November 13th to 23rd, 2008 in Cologne under the motto “Really! Politics in the Free Theater ”. It comprises 17 independent productions in the three different categories “German-speaking”, “International” and “Made in Cologne”. The latter is thematically dedicated to the citizens of Cologne, the urban space and its history. Stylistically, the orientation towards the transgression of classical theater forms was deepened. The traditional concept of theater is to be called into question through the leitmotif “Real!”. The theater groups work with so-called “accomplices”, untrained performers, and thus bring “real” life into the theater; or the theaters leave their halls and play in public spaces. Often the viewer also takes on a different, more active role. The following questions are investigated: How much authenticity can one admit to the supposedly “real”? How much constructed reality can be found in the “real”?

• Festival contributions: Shortly after I was dead. From houses and people , Matthaei & Konsorten, Cologne, D: Jörg Lukas Matthaei; Germany series. Stage Cologne-Bonn , Hofmann & Lindholm , Cologne, R: Hofmann & Lindholm; Lauter Cologne wishes , Drama Cologne, Cologne, D: Philine Velhagen ; The north of Cologne. Reise in die Raue Stadt , Boris Sieverts - City Travel Office, Cologne; Rockplastik XXL , One-Hit-Wonder , Berlin, artist. Head: Tanja Krone / Wanja Saatkamp; Hell on Earth , Constanza Macras / Dorkypark, Berlin, D: Constanza Macras; Montana , International Institute of Political Murder, Berlin, D: Milo Rau ; The Bus , 400asa , Zurich, D: Samuel Schwarz ; Far a day cage , Nothing Company, Zurich, D: Tomas Schweigen; The Black Chamber , Mass & Fieber, Zurich, D: Niklaus Helbling ; The Maid's Report based on Margaret Atwood, Theaterhaus Jena , D: Regina Wenig; And , Doris Uhlich, Vienna, choreography: Doris Uhlich; Kamp , Hotel Modern , Rotterdam / Netherlands, concept and game: Pauline Kalker, Arlene Hoornweg, Herman Helle; Der Berliner Gaettong , Alexis Bug / Street Theater Troupe Seoul, Seoul / Republic of Korea, D: Alexis Bug ; Stalin , Greek National Theater Athens, Text & D: Michael Marmarinos / Akillas Karazissis; HEM or Heisse Estonian Men , Teater NO99, Tallinn / Estonia, Idea & R: Tiit Ojasoo; A terrible beauty is born , Arjun Raina, Gurgaon / India.
• Prize jury: Martin Berg, Munich, Head of Theater / Dance at the Goethe-Institut; Tina Mendelsohn , London, presenter, reporter, filmmaker; Esther Slevogt, author, documentary film director, theater critic, co-founder of the online theater portal nachtkritik.de; Georg Weinand, Amsterdam, dramaturge, theater and dance critic, lecturer.
• Prize winners: The price of the Federal Agency for Civic Education / bpb of 15,000 euros for a guest tour in German-speaking countries was awarded to Michael Marmarinus and Akillas Karazissis for Stalin - a discussion about (Greek) theater , a commissioned production by the Greek National Theater in Athens. Constanza Macras' production Hell on Earth was awarded the Goethe Institute Prize for the best production from Germany.

Dresden 2011

The 8th festival “Politics in the Free Theater” took place for the second time in Dresden from October 27th to November 6th, 2011 in cooperation with the Staatsschauspiel Dresden and Hellerau - European Center for the Arts . In addition to the Schauspielhaus Dresden and the Festspielhaus Hellerau , the venues were the Japanese Palace , the Terminal of Dresden Airport , Jorge-Gomondai-Platz , the German Hygiene Museum , the Centrum-Galerie , the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr and the Schauburg Film Theater .

Under the motto “Foreign”, a total of 16 pieces, consisting of eleven productions from German-speaking countries and five productions from the international area, were invited. The motto dealt with the uncertainty that the foreign often triggers. The guest performances dealt with the diversity of the unknown and showed that the unfamiliar can also be hidden in the supposedly familiar. Films, shows and art projects highlighted new aspects and facets of the foreign. In total, more than 10,000 spectators attended the eleven-day theater festival. In addition to the guest performances, exhibitions, concerts, lectures, performances and events for schoolchildren and teachers formed the framework program of the festival, in which other aspects of the foreign were illuminated in various ways and discussed on a socio-political level.

• Program and overall organization : Haiko Pfost, artistic director of the Vienna theater center "brut"; Christel Weiler, senior academic councilor at the Institute for Theater Studies at the Free University of Berlin; Christian Rakow, journalist; Milena Mushak, advisor at the Federal Agency for Civic Education; Carmen Mehnert, Program Director Hellerau - European Center for the Arts and Christof Belka, Staatsschauspiel Dresden.
• Festival contributions: Versus , La Carnicería Teatro, Spain, D: Rodrigo García ; Insulting passers-by - based on Peter Handke's “ Publikumsbeschimigung ”, Austria, D: God's Entertainment, Testament She She Pop and their fathers; Furry Species , Institute for Hybrid Research, D: Corinna Korth; I'm not really at risk , R: Turbo Pascal; Money - It Came From Outer Space , D: Chris Kondek and Christiane Kühl; Verrücktes Blut , Ballhaus Naunynstraße, D: Nurkan Erpulat and Jens Hillje; Via Intolleranza II , D: Christoph Schlingensief ; Made in Paradise , Switzerland, D: Yan Duyvendak, Omar Ghayatt and Nicole Borgeat; Drawing Storm , Austria, D: Michikazu Matsune; ArabQueen or The Other Life - based on the novel by Güner Yasemin Balci, Heimathafen Neukölln, D: Nicole Oder; It is not easy to be a god - Nehéz istennek lenni , Hungary, D: Kornél Mundruczó; Darfur - Mission incomplete , D: Hans-Werner Kroesinger ; Cinderella , USA, D: Ann Liv Young; Hajusom in Bollyland , Hajusom eV, artistic direction: Ella Huck, Dorothea Reinicke; Before Your Very Eyes , Campo, Belgium, D: Gob Squad .
• Prize jury : Annette Jahns , opera singer and director, Dresden; Gabriela Massuh, former cultural advisor at the Goethe-Institut, Buenos Aires; Matthias Pees , head dramaturge of the Wiener Festwochen.
• Prize winners : The Federal Agency for Civic Education / bpb's prize of 15,000 euros was awarded to It is not easy to be a god by Kornél Mundruczó from Hungary. A guest tour in Germany will be financed with the prize money. Money - It Came From Outer Space by Chris Kondek and Christiane Kühl received the Goethe-Institut award for an international guest tour, endowed with 10,000 euros .

competition

From the beginning, the festival was competitive. At the suggestion of an independent expert jury , the Federal Central Office awards prize money of varying amounts; Since the 4th festival in Stuttgart in 1999, 3sat, and later the ZDFtheaterkanal, recorded one of the invited productions in full as a special prize. Two cash prizes have been awarded since 2006. The federal headquarters are awarding a grant of 15,000 euros for a guest tour in German-speaking countries . Since then, the award has been given to the “best” production of the festival. As a grant for a guest performance abroad, the Goethe-Institut awards a prize of 10,000 euros for the best production from Germany. The competition was always controversial, however, and the awarding of prize money was accompanied by fierce public controversies. For the jury decision in Dresden 1993 was u. a. to read: “A sloping eastward position, rewarded mood of development or optimism in the new federal states […] If the competition is less for the palm than for a place at the meat pots, when the satisfaction of basic needs is circulated before fair evaluation, then everyone ultimately loses there. ”The 3rd Festival 1996 even ended“ in a scandal ”between the organizers and the jury:“ The advertised prizes were redistributed without further ado, which annoyed some [...] In secret, one or the other may have wondered whether the jury would be better should be abolished. It just doesn't all fit together. ”And:“ Can a jury chaired by the 69-year-old Theater heute founder Henning Rischbieter be wrong? She can. "The winner of the Berlin Festival 2005, the Theater Basel , rejected the prize money, referring to the fact that it was not a free theater:" We understand this award as an appreciation of a collaboration within the boundaries between working methods and substantive approaches of City theaters and the independent scene become fluent [...] The award of the Federal Agency for Civic Education is intended to promote a tour by a free group in independent houses. The Basel Theater is not such and does not want to claim any funds from the independent scene for its guest performances. The approach of houses like Theater Basel to work with discoveries and talents from the independent scene is only possible as long as they exist and as long as they are promoted accordingly. Therefore we would like to ask the Federal Agency for Civic Education to use the financial support associated with the award not as a grant for the guest performance tour of 'Mnemopark', but to promote the independent scene. ”During the 7th festival in Cologne moved to the Dutch Gruppe Hotel Modern , the Swiss theater 400asa also withdrew from the current competition, formulating the concerns in an open letter to the festival management , in which it was stated, among other things: “The hype about the winner, the subordination to decisions by experts, the acceptance of the alleged Reality that there has to be 'winners' and 'losers' in every area of ​​life [...] but we are not looking for such definitions of reality at such a festival. "

literature

• Sabine Brandes, Gottfried Böttger (Red.): Politics and theater - theater and politics. Images and texts for the 4th festival “Politics in Free Theater”. Published by the State Center for Political Education Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart 2000.
• Margarete Häßel (Red.): 2nd Festival "Politics in Free Theater" - Dresden October 28th – November 7th, 1993. A documentation. Federal Agency for Civic Education, Bonn 1994.
• Richard Weber: 3rd Festival “Politics in Free Theater”. A documentation. Federal Agency for Civic Education, Bonn 1997, ISBN 3-89331-277-3 .

Web links

• Website of the festival "Echt" in Cologne
• Website of the festival "Freiheit" in Freiburg
• Documentation of the festival "Politics in Free Theater"

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sabine Berthold, Holger Ehmke (Red.): Program for the 1st Festival “Politics in Free Theater”. Edited by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, Bonn 1988, p. 4.
2. ↑ See also Richard Weber: In search of “real” life. Political theater at the beginning of the 21st century. In: Correspondence - magazine for theater education. Issue 53, 2008, pp. 41-46.
3. ^ Wilhelm Triebold: The necessary and the superfluous. Sloping east: (cultural) politics around off-theater - a festival in Dresden. In: Südwest-Presse , November 11, 1993
4. ↑ Susanne Raubold: Rainy shoes. In: The Sunday paper. Hamburg, November 29, 1996.
5. ↑ Christoph Köster: A dispute. In: taz. , Bremen, November 25, 1996.
6. ↑ Press release from Theater Basel from November 29, 2005
7. ↑ See http://www.nachtkritik.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2051&Itemid=84