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The Show Must Go On

BUNDESTREFFEN25 der Freien Darstellenden Künste

BUNDESTREFFEN25 of the Independent Performing Arts

Profound social, political and economic upheavals are also having an impact on the art world. This is particularly true when it comes to the independent performing arts: Where artists work closely with their audiences, where aesthetically innovative formats are developed, where open spaces for thought are created and perceptions of the existing are sharpened, where connections are easier to accept despite differences and dissent – it is precisely here that enormous pressure is being felt as a result of the multifaceted culture wars. The relevance of the independent arts, it seems, is once again being questioned: Must the show go on?
As part of BUNDESTREFFEN25 on September 25 and 26 at HAU Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin, several hundred artists, theater and festival directors, interest groups and professional associations from the independent performing arts, as well as people from civil society, cultural politics and arts administration, came together to focus on the creative power of this art form and develop new perspectives for its future. Strong voices came together in keynotes, panels, workshops as well as different discussion and exchange formats – and discussed and reflected self-critically on challenges, gaps and potential. The independent arts work closely with their audiences, creating aesthetic momentum and broadening minds: Is this impact far-reaching enough?
The Fonds Darstellende Künste, together with strong partners, invited everyone to discuss these issues in focused working groups: These are dedicated to important topics for specific groups of actors and at the same time open up space for a broader dialogue – in order to develop new initiatives and broaden perspectives.
In addition, as part of BUNDESTREFFEN25, the Fonds honored outstanding artistic achievements with the presentation of the Tabori Prize 2025 – the most prestigious national award in the performing arts outside of institutional structures.

Workshop insights

  • Kunst braucht Freiheiten und Mut

    Der Geschäftsführer des Fonds, Holger Bergmann, wirft einen Blick zurück auf zwei intensive Veranstaltungstage, auf die Ergebnisse aus den einzelnen Workshops, wichtige Impulse aus den Podiumsgesprächen und Statements: Kunst braucht Freiheiten und Mut, um sich den aktuellen gesellschaftlichen Herausforderungen zu stellen, Kunst braucht stabile Förderungen auch abseits einer Projektlogik – und sie braucht „Allianzen, die größer sind als wir selbst“. 

  • © Dorothea Tuch

    “Remaining effective” – self-positioning & scope for action

    In times of precariousness and competition, fair conditions, open spaces, and genuine solidarity are crucial for cultural effectiveness. Felizitas Stilleke provided an insight into the topics covered in the workshops and made a plea for attitude, sustainability, and shared responsibility.

  • © Dorothea Tuch

    Black Box - White Cube: New narratives, diversity of forms, aesthetic risks or ancient blockages?

    Independent performing arts create spaces for diversity, empathy, and social renewal—beyond market logic and political appropriation. Heinrich Horwitz summarizes the artists' workshop and advocates for protection, participation, and stable funding structures.

  • © Dorothea Tuch

    Taking responsibility: Who represents whom and how?

    Legitimacy, participation, and resources are key prerequisites—supplemented by creative competence, cooperation, and structural support. Anna Steinkamp and Helge-Björn Meyer summarized the workshop for interest groups at BUNDESTREFFEN25 as a plea for strong, agile organizations in the independent scene.

  • © Dorothea Tuch

    ON HOLD. HOLD ON

    Art needs freedom, trust, and reliable structures. At the end of the second day of the BUNDESTREFFEN25 event, Annemie Vanackere provided an insight into the topics and demands of the workshop for theater and festival managers. 

Cultural policy outlook

  • © Dorothea Tuch

    "In the coalition agreement, we agreed that our culture is the foundation of our freedom. We now need to turn this intention into reality. And as a politician working on cultural policies, I promise you that this will include the appropriate budgetary resources."

    Nancy Faeser, Member of the Bundestag (SPD), Committee on Culture and the Media 

  • © Dorothea Tuch

    "We are now trying to repair the situation. [...] And I would also like us to continue along the path of strengthening the independent scene as much as possible. [...] . We have to continue improving the resources available for arts and culture and for the independent scene in particular."

    Martin Rabanus, Member of the Bundestag (SPD), Committee on Culture and the Media 

  • © Dorothea Tuch

    "It's about predictability. That is very important for the independent scene, which is of course also one of our beacons [...] We have significantly increased the resources for the Fonds Darstellende Künste. [...] And we also stand by this."

    Ottilie Klein, Member of the Bundestag (CDU), Committee for Culture and Media 

  • "If we then manage to keep not only the financing, but also the concept of culture and freedom and these spaces and doors open, then this independent scene will remain loud and courageous and diverse. [...] As committee chairman, I can definitely promise that I will do everything I can to support you all in this work."

    Sven Lehmann, Member of the Bundestag (Die Grünen/Bündnis 90), Chairman of the Committee on Culture and the Media 

Magazine

  • © Roman Hagenbrock

    Independent performing arts in Germany

    An introductory clip was created for the opening of BUNDESTREFFEN25, illustrating the diversity and versatility of the nationwide independent performing arts scene. 

  • © Sebastian Bolesch

    Don't isolate yourselves

    n this era of austerity and a shift to the right, isolation is the wrong tactic at the wrong time, according to cultural journalist Janis El-Bira, who calls for unity. An assessment of the current situation in the independent performing arts.

  • Rear view of a person in overalls. A fabric with the inscription "DIE KUNST, VIELE ZU BLEIBEN" is sewn onto the overalls. © Christian Knieps

    Perhaps we’re the minority after all

    What to do when so much speaks against the liberal arts? Cultural journalist Tobi Müller on the technological, political, and artistic reasons why thinking in terms of large numbers and majorities has even taken hold in the world of subsidized art.

Impressionen

© Dorothea Tuch
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An event organized by the Fonds Darstellende Künste. Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Thanks to HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste, Bündnis internationaler Produktionshäuser.

Program

Find out more about the detailed program for the two days of the event here. Information on accessibility and barrier-free access can be found in the “Service Information” section (see below).

3:30 p.m.

Arrival + Accreditation

  • Location: HAU2
4:30 p.m.

#Opening of the BUNDESTREFFEN25

Welcome address: Holger Bergmann, Managing Director of the Fonds Darstellende Künste, and Boussa Thiam, moderator of the BUNDESTREFFEN25.

Welcome speech by Konrad Schmidt-Werthern (Senior Official at the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media)

#Podium: The Show Must Go On?! 

The times call for change: Old certainties are dissolving, international orders are shifting and social and economic stagnation are putting functioning democracy to the test. Against this backdrop, we are rethinking questions of artistic freedom and the conditions necessary for artistic creation: How can spaces for the independent arts be preserved, defended and made sustainable? Must – and can – the show go on?

  • Nino Haratischwili, author and theater director
  • Carena Schlewitt (Artistic Director, HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts)
  • Julian Warner, cultural anthropologist and curator
  • Moderated by Tobi Müller, freelance cultural journalist and author
  • Location: HAU2 (Stage)
     
6:00 p.m.

#Award ceremony: Tabori Prize 2025

The Tabori Prize is the most prestigious award for the independent performing arts in Germany and honors artistic positions with outstanding aesthetic and thematic appeal on an annual basis. Named after theater maker George Tabori, the prize promotes the public awareness of innovative, independently produced ensembles and artists with a national and international impact.
This year the prize, which is being awarded for the 16th time, will be presented for the first time at the BUNDESTREFFEN 25.

  • Location: HAU2 (Stage)
  • Followed by a receoption (Foyer)
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Performance: "The Clowns Convention“ by Wunderbaum / Theaterhaus Jena / Post Paradies

The clowns are back! In a swirling show, a group of international clowns searches for a way out of the crisis. Can clowns save humanity from destruction? Are they the last hope in the face of polarization? “You yourself are the biggest clown.”
All guests of BUNDESTREFFEN25 are cordially invited to the performance of wunderbaum / Theaterhaus Jena / Post Paradies.

9:00 a.m.

Arrival + Accreditation

  • Location: HAU2
10:00 a.m.

Welcome: Boussa Thiam (moderator)

Welcome speech by Nancy Faeser (SPD, Member of the Committee on Culture and Media)

#Podium: Politics or art: a show without impact?

In a time of heated debates and emotional polarization, the question arises as to what this means for democratic understanding and the role of the arts. For tensions also arise within the arts - diversity, difference, and political demands create friction: artistically, institutionally, emotionally. How can debates be conducted constructively and artistically in highly emotional times? How can the staging of a debate not itself become a show?

In conversation:

  • Julia Reuschenbach (Political scientist (Freie Universität Berlin), co-author of the book “Defekte Debatten”)
  • Cesy Leonard (Action artist and founder of Radikale Töchter)
  • Moderation: Janis El-Bira (critic, author, presenter)
  • Location: HAU2 (Stage)
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

#Open Workshops: “Remaining effective” – self-positioning & scope for action

  • curation: Felizitas Stilleke
  • Location: HAU2

In three open roundtable discussions, we don't just want to talk, we want to listen, persevere, confront – and think about new scope for action:

#1 - Effective against Polarization

Ideologies are gaining influence – also in the cultural sector. How do we counter attempts by extreme forces to undermine artistic freedom or exploit it for their own purposes? What role does silence play, what effect does a clear stance have – on stage and in the reality of production? How can we harness the power of art more aggressively against further polarization? And how can we protect ourselves from self-censorship?

  • Impulse: Diana Wesser (artist)
  • Moderation: Michelle Deutsch (Fonds Darstellende Künste)
  • Location: HAU2 (Stage)

#2 - Effective through action

Whose perspectives dominate discourses? Whose struggles are heard, whose are ignored? In a scene that advocates diversity but often relies on competitive mechanisms, the question arises: How united are we really? And where do we urgently need to make adjustments? How and where can discourse and practice be combined, or does this connection block aesthetic risks?

  • Impulse: Dorothea Marcus (cultural journalist)
  • Moderation: Dandan Liu (Dramaturge and theater producer)
  • Location: HAU2 (Foyer)

#3 - Effective exchange 

The realities of impact between metropolitan areas and rural areas differ significantly and cover different latitudes. How can genuine transfer be achieved – in both directions? Who benefits from differentiation and division? And what can urban areas really learn from rural areas in terms of connection and commitment? And which strategies, expertise, and tools for greater visibility and publicity are useful for actors in rural areas?

  • Impulse: Farina Jäger-Stabenow & Lionel Tomm (wirvier-Kollektiv)
  • Moderation: Eva Stöhr (Fonds Darstellende Künste)
  • Location: HAU2 (Studio)
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

#Internal Workshops

In cooperation with strong partners, BUNDESTREFFEN25 provides individual groups with closed rooms for in-depth reflection. Participation is by personal invitation only. The results of these groups will be presented at the end of the day.

#4 Art: Black Box - White Cube: New narratives, diversity of forms, aesthetic risks or ancient blockages?

Closed workshop for artists 

  • Led by: Heinrich Horwitz (artist*)
  • Impulses: Kevin Rittberger (theater director, playwright), Sivan Ben Yishai (playwright, theater director)
  • Moderator: Lucien U. Lambertz (dramaturg*, curator*), Philine Rinnert (scenographer)
  • Location: HAU3 (Houseclub)

#5 Interest Groups: Taking responsibility: Who represents whom and how?

Closed workshop for interest groups 

  • Led by: Bundesverband Freie Darstellende Künste e.V. (BFDK)
  • Input: Stefan Kirchner (Zukunft Verband 360° e.V.), Dominik Hierlemann (Bertelsmann Stiftung)
  • Moderators: Anna Steinkamp, Helge-Björn Meyer (Management BFDK)
  • Location: HAU3 (Studio 1)

#6 Theaters + Festivals: ON HOLD. HOLD ON

Closed workshop for and with festival and theater directors

  • Led by: Bündnis Internationaler Produktionshäuser
  • Input: Leonie Hunter (Princeton University), Margarita Tsomou (dramaturg and curator), Justus Duhnkrack (lawyer), Laura Strack (freelance literary translator and dramaturg), Rika Sakalak (dramaturg, curator)
  • Location: HAU3 (Stage)

#7 Funding: Ad hoc – is now – exchange in cultural funding

At the same time, the Ad hoc Working Group on Independent Performing Arts is meeting.

Representatives of cultural funding institutions at the federal and state levels will come together at the BUNDESTREFFEN25 for an in-depth exchange of views on the current challenges facing the independent performing arts.

Location: HAU3 (Studio 2)

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Lunch break + Catering

2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

#Open Workshops (Part 2): „Wirksam bleiben“- Selbstverortung & Handlungsspielräume 

  • Location: HAU2

#Internal Workshops (Part 2)

  • Location: HAU3
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

#Conclusion: The Show Will Go On – one way or another! – Closing statements and outlook

To mark the closing of BUNDESTREFFEN 25, participants in the working groups will summarize their impressions. Sven Lehmann (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Media), Ottilie Klein (CDU, Committee on Culture and Media), and Martin Rabanus (SPD, Committee on Culture and Media) offer their comments from a cultural policy perspective. Together, we will look ahead: What ideas will we take away with us? Which questions remain unanswered – and which ones do we need to finally ask in a different way? 

Followed by: "Och Nö!" – Lecture performance by Simone Dede Ayivi

Location: HAU2 (Stage)