The upcoming 2025 Theatertreffen is inspiring and exciting. This year’s festival promises new stories, new voices and new perspectives. We have the opportunity to experience seven premieres and the works of just as many directors showcasing their productions at the Theatertreffen for the first time, such as works from the Theater Magdeburg and the Vienna-based production and performance venue brut Wien. For us as theatre-goers, this is as an excellent opportunity to embrace new narratives and engage in new forms of story-telling and presentation which we have never, or only rarely, experienced in theatre.
This year’s Theatertreffen also reflects the issues of our time. In “Die Gewehre der Frau Carrar / Würgendes Blei” (Señora Carrar’s Rifles / Choking Lead), we look back on a conflict-ridden past that still haunts us. In “[EOL]. End of Life”, we confront memories and address the question of authority over remembering and forgetting. In many different ways, the productions of “Kontakthof – Echoes of ’78”, “Double Serpent” and “Blutbuch” (Blood Book) deal with gaps in memory and allow us to experience how our present times are impacted by what we remember.
Not only language itself but also music, rhythm and poetry play leading roles in this year’s Theatertreffen. We can also look forward to “Unser Deutschlandmärchen” (Our German Fairytale), a musical story-telling evening and empathetic portrait, as well as to the opera performance “SANCTA”, which explores the language of theatre, musicals, performance, dance and opera in a powerful and impressive way. A score of finely tuned words and gestures awaits us in “Bernarda Albas Haus” (The House of Bernarda Alba). In “Die Maschine oder: Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh” (The Machine or: Over every summit it’s peaceful), we bear witness to the destruction of cultural heritage and experience how the reality constructed by language can be changed. The production of “ja nichts ist ok” (yes nothing is ok) expresses perplexity in view of the current global situation – which allows the audience to take comfort in community.
Dear theatre audience, like a kaleidoscope the selection of remarkable productions reflects many facets of the social realities that surround us. In places, the chosen productions challenge us to be open for discussion and in particular for art, promising an adventurous journey into the special story-telling world of the theatre. Let us embark on this journey together!
I wish you all exciting theatre performances, inspiring encounters and lasting impressions.
Claudia Roth – State Minister for Culture and the Media and Member of the German Bundestag
In April 2025