Greetings & Jury Essay

From a moving musical requiem and contemporary theatre in part against a fairy tale backdrop to memorable interpretations of classical works – the works selected for this year’s edition of the Theatertreffen reflect the diversity and strength of theatre in a present shaken by war. In his essay, jury member Janis El-Bira sheds some light on, amongst other topics, how the current selection juggles worldliness and challenges the limits of the Enlightenment. In different worlds full of scepticism, mourning and surprising humour, theatre charts its true course.

Current geo- and socio-political developments often leave us speechless and confused. In these times of wars, crises and growing divisions in society, we need a place where we can address and discuss critical issues and achieve some kind of understanding. The Theatertreffen offers us such a place. This festival provides a unique opportunity to experience the full range of outstanding theatre art performed on German-language stages from north to south and from east to west. 

“Why do we do this? We cut the answer to this question”, says Fabian Hinrichs in “Kill your Darlings! Streets of Berladelphia”, the production which received René Pollesch’s second invitation to Berlin’s Theatertreffen in 2012. These words became a witticism. While in the context of the play, the exclamation mainly related to capitalism’s self-referential production logics, Pollesch and Hinrichs always also meant the absurd beauty and the potentially cruel self-deception of the theatre’s situation. Berlin’s Theatertreffen celebrates and reflects this beauty in all of its ambivalence.