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2017 George Tabori Prize

Around 15 people stand in a row, with flowers in their hands, and look into the audience, laughing. In the background, the words Tabori Prize 2017 can be read on a screen. © Florian Krauß

Tabori Prize 2017 | Award Winners, Jurors and Program Participants of the Award Ceremony

On May 24, 2017, the George Tabori Prize was awarded for the 8th time by the Fonds Darstellende Künste for ensembles and artists from the independent theater scene. The six nominated groups were selected from more than 300 groups supported by the Fonds Darstellende Künste over the past five years. In awarding the main prize and the incentive prize, the Fonds once again honored two artistic expressions of particular brilliance.

The Award Winners

The main prize of €20,000 was awarded to the media and performance group LIGNA, which, according to the jury's statement, "further develops the format of the solo audio walk into ensemble art, transforming places in the city or the theater into spaces of collaboration." [...] "LIGNA analyzes [...] the mechanics and dynamics of group and mass movements, asks about control and self-empowerment, about who or what moves, controls, manipulates groups, what they in turn can move, cause, elementally destroy or, in the most positive way, make it possible to experience at all."

The laudatory speech was given by Katja Aßmann, director of the ZKR | Zentrum für Kunst und Öffentlichen Raum in Berlin.

The jury also honored the Hildesheim theater collective Markus&Markus with the €10,000 incentive award, stating: "The four stand out with their work through a radical overwriting of fiction and reality. With all their ‘trashiness’ and staged imperfection, they strike at the dark heart of reality. In their productions disguised as investigations, they give themselves and their audiences access to aggressively marginalized issues of the highest social relevance."

The laudatory speech was given by Franziska Werner, Artistic Director of the Sophiensæle Berlin.

The Award Ceremony

The welcoming speech by Claudia Roth, Vice President of the German Bundestag, paid tribute to the stimulating work of independent theater, which has had a formative influence on the German theater landscape in recent years. The keynote speech by the author and performer Alexander Karschnia (andcompany&Co.) about "art in resistance as well as resistance against art" rounded off the event.

The musical framework of the evening was provided by Kai Schumacher, whose piano interpretations, together with singer Nadine Finsterbusch, among others, open up new sound spaces. Artistically, the evening was further enriched by the contribution "Favelas aus Gold" by the group copy & waste and by Laura Landergott on guitar.

Around 15 people stand in a row, with flowers in their hands, and look into the audience, laughing. In the background, the words Tabori Prize 2017 can be read on a screen. © Florian Krauß
View into the auditorium with filling rows of seats at HAU 1 before the start of the award ceremony. © Florian Krauß
Steffen Klewar stands on stage as the moderator and welcomes the audience with a microphone in his hand. © Florian Krauß
Annemie welcomes the audience on stage at the beginning of the award ceremony. Next to her is Steffen Klewar. In the background, a large screen with the words George Tabori Prize 2017 can be seen. © Florian Krauß
A performer stands on stage in a slightly bent posture. His face is covered by an oversized 1-euro coin that he wears above his head. © Florian Krauß
Alexander Karschnia with raised fist during his impulse speech at the speaker's desk. © Florian Krauß
Claudia Roth, standing behind the lectern, addresses the audience, her hands raised for gestural emphasis. © Florian Krauß
In front of the large screen, which shows a video feed with three people looking into the camera, a musician stands and plays the electric guitar. © Florian Krauß
Sabine Gehm reads out the jury's statement at the lectern. © Florian Krauß
Franziska Werner hält eine Laudatio auf die diesjährigen Preisträger*innen. Dazu steht sie am Redner*innenpult. © Florian Krauß
The ensemble of markus&markus stands side by side on stage, with flowers in their hands. One of them gives a speech of thanks at the lectern. © Florian Krauß
Katja Aßmann holds a laudation for this year's award winners - standing at the lectern in front of the microphone. © Florian Krauß
The members of the Ligna group are in each other's arms on stage during the award ceremony. © Florian Krauß
The Ligna group during their acceptance speech - with flowers in their hands. © Florian Krauß
A pianist dressed in black sits at the large concert grand piano and plays. © Florian Krauß
Juror Matthias Pees during a speech about the Ligna group. © Florian Krauß
Juror Ilka Schmalbauch standing at the lectern during a speech. © Florian Krauß
In a black dress, the microphone held in front of her mouth, a singer performs a song. Behind her is a pianist at a concert grand piano. © Florian Krauß
The four winners of markus & markus smile into the camera during the aftershow party, with flowers and champagne glasses in their hands. © Florian Krauß
Portrait of Matthias Pees and another guest during the after-show party in the foyer of HAU 1 © Florian Krauß
Guests in casual conversation at the after-show party in the foyer of HAU 1. © Florian Krauß
Two guests in casual conversation at the after-show party in the foyer of HAU 1. © Florian Krauß

2017 Award Jury