Welcoming address by Minister of State for Culture and Media Claudia Roth, Member of the Bundestag
In the context of the patronage for the Bundesweite Artist Labs of the Fonds Darstellende Künste:
"The stage is just two boards and a passion; not only a place where people are paid for their fun, but also the only place where they are allowed to act out everything they are or should be without punishment," the great theater artist George Tabori once wrote about the performing arts. Freedom on stage is a source of inspiration for our entire society. Theater artists shatter routines of thought and perception and make us look at the world with different eyes. As "disturbers of the peace" in the best sense, as instigators of a change of perspective, and as a mirror of social diversity, they enrich our democracy.
The joy of experimenting and playing with new practices and aesthetic approaches makes the independent performing arts an engine of innovation in art and society. In doing so, they address the pressing issues of our time – from sustainability and diversity to the tension between democracy and representation. The Bundesweiten Artist Labs and the Bundesweites Artist Labor der Labore shine the spotlight on this potential of the independent scene. They make visible the contribution of their actors, venues and productions to cultural diversity and show that artistic and social commitment to the pressing issues of the day are mutually dependent and mutually enriching. I was happy to assume the patronage. Because committed, critical and accessible art needs a strong independent scene.
Claudia Roth, Member of the Bundestag
Minister of State for Culture and Media