Application

Call for applications October 2025
Application deadline January 31, 2026
Questions & Answers about the application with the team January 14, 2026, 5 PM
Registration via: treffenjungeszene@berlinerfestspiele.de
Viewing period February 22 to March 19, 2026
Announcement of award winners March 24, 2026
Theatertreffen der Jugend May 30 to June 6, 2026

You can apply if you are between 11 and 21 years old.

As this is a national competition, unfortunately only applications from within the Federal Republic of Germany can be considered.

Repeated applications are possible.

The production must not be significantly changed from the time of application until the performance at Theatertreffen der Jugend. The version performed at the time of the jury’s viewing is binding.
In case of selection, all costs for travel, accommodation, and meals will be covered by Treffen junge Szene.
Performance or rehearsal fees cannot be financed.

If selected for Theatertreffen der Jugend, we agree to:

• the publication of excerpts of the piece on the websites of Berliner Festspiele and, if applicable, the publication of the recording made during the festival for documentation and archiving purposes.
• the use of photo and video material produced on our behalf during the festival for documentation purposes in publications and online.

Please submit your application via our applicationportal. After you have registered, you can enter all the details of your application there.
Please also upload the following application materials:

1. Video recording of the piece / performance:
   A rehearsal run is also welcome, preferably filmed with a single camera in a wide shot.
   The recording can be uploaded in several parts.
2. Explanations regarding the video recording as a PDF:
   Information on whether it is, for example, the premiere or a rehearsal run, what is still missing, what is different?
   Are costumes or stage elements missing, for example?
3. Information about the group:
   How is the ensemble composed? What is your working method? Where do you train or rehearse? How did your work come about? What material did you use for it?
   You are welcome to submit additional supporting material (project announcements, program booklets, flyers, press articles, posters, material about the group …)
4. Implementation on site:
   What are your wishes or ideas for presenting your production in Berlin?
5. Dates for live viewings:
   If your production is shortlisted, the jury will come to you to see the piece or performance live and talk with you about the work and the rehearsal process.
   Please let us know possible dates between February 23 and March 19, 2026, when the jury could visit you. If no performances are planned during this time, a rehearsal run is also acceptable.

If you have questions or problems using our application portal, please contact us by phone at +49 30 254 89 113 or by email at treffenjungeszene@berlinerfestspiele.de.

The award for the selected ensembles in the previous national competition is an invitation to the one-week Thetatertreffen der Jugend in Berlin. All travel, accommodation, and meal costs will be covered.

The meeting consists of three main areas:

Stage
The selected ensembles present their plays, performances, or theatre works in public performances at one of the largest theatres in Germany.

Campus
The young artists work in workshops with theatre experts and artists on a wide range of topics related to the performing arts.

Forum
A focused training program consisting of workshops and discussion formats is aimed at the directors of the selected groups, as well as external theatre makers, teachers, theatre educators, and students.

The award for the ensembles in the shortlist consists of an invitation for 2 delegates from the group plus one accompanying person to the one-week Theatertreffen der Jugend.

After the application deadline, the ten-member expert jury reviews the submissions.
In the first jury session (February 2026), the jury makes a shortlist.
Afterwards, the jurors go on viewing trips to experience the theatre productions live and to talk with the young theatre makers about their piece and the rehearsal process (approx. 1 hour). After the viewing phase, the jury meets for a final session and makes the final selection for the Theatertreffen der Jugend. In doing so, it considers certain selection criteria. The award winners will be announced on the Treffen junge Szene website and on social media. In addition, the award winners will be informed by email about the selection.
All applicants will also receive an email with the results of the selection process.
The jury’s decision is final – legal recourse is excluded.

Selection Criteria of the Jury

The jury is looking for remarkable and exemplary theatre works (productions, performances, theatrical walks, theatrical installations, etc.) by the young generation.
To be able to compare the submitted applications, the jury pays attention to certain characteristics in the works.

The jury looks at:

• Is there a genuine interest of the young ensemble in theatre, and is there independence and initiative?
• Does the group radiate authenticity in terms of content and form of the piece?
• Is it noticeable that the group leadership and the young ensemble truly worked together?
• Do the young theatre makers have a concern, and is there an urgency to negotiate it through the means of theatre?
• Is there a sense of today’s society in the engagement with the content, and are the contents of interest to society?
• Does the work show artistic intent, expressiveness, and identity that go beyond mere storytelling?
• Is there knowledge of theatre techniques and theatre signs, of how to artistically translate content into scenes?
• Is there room for the audience’s own thoughts?
• Are texts and language shaped on stage with a distinctive style?
• Is there a decision for a clear acting style?
• If play templates are used, does the ensemble have its own perspective on the material, or is an original adaptation developed?
• Are character development and character formation recognizable in the actors’ performance?
• Is the ensemble’s joy of playing visible, is there acting presence, and beyond that, a collective performance of the ensemble?
• Is the ensemble aware that it is performing for an audience and does it engage with this encounter?
• Is something daring attempted with the theatre work?