In May or June of every year, the Berliner Festspiele organize an international forum of German-language drama under the name of “Theatertreffen”. Selected productions from German-language theatres (city and state theatres as well as independent production houses), produced in the German-language region, are suggested to the artistic director of the Berliner Festspiele and the director of Theatertreffen for invitation to the Theatertreffen and performance in Berlin. The Theatertreffen’s purpose is to present remarkable productions from German-language theatres in Austria, Switzerland and Germany within a specific time-frame, thus becoming an epicentre for comparison, discussion, communication and orientation for an international audience.
The Berliner Festspiele’s artistic director and the director of Theatertreffen invite the productions selected by a jury within the limits of the available budget. The jury is solely responsible for the selections, regardless of the festival director’s scheduling.
Productions may be considered for selection whose premieres have taken place in the calendar year preceding each respective edition of the Theatertreffen (1 January – 31 December).
(The selection for Theatertreffen 2026 takes place in a transitional year, whose selection period runs from 17 January 2025 to 31 December 2025. The calendar year rule will come into full effect with the selection for the 2027 Theatertreffen.)
Exceptions are permitted.
The selection is made by a jury consisting of 7 theatre critics from the German-language region. Jury members are usually appointed for at least 3 calendar years by mutual agreement between the director of the Berliner Festspiele, the director of the Theatertreffen and the artistic director of the German Federal Cultural Foundation.
Jury members are paid a fee and receive travel cost compensation according to the German Travel Expenses Act.
Jury sessions are chaired by the Theatertreffen’s director.
The jury’s task is to select the ten most remarkable productions from German-language theatres and to suggest their invitation to Berliner Festspiele’s artistic director and Theatertreffen’s director.
The Theatertreffen-jury commits itself to continue the implementation of a female quota of at least 50 percent regarding the position of director for the 2026 edition of the festival.
Collectives of directors that consist of at least 50 percent of women are factored into the female quota of 50 percent.
The jury members inform the Theatertreffen’s directors about productions that should be considered for selection and invitation.
The Theatertreffen’s director keeps jury members informed about all submitted suggestions promptly and at all times, also informing them about performance dates. He or she ensure that a sufficient number of jury members are able to see the named productions in due time.
Each jury member will inform the director and the other jury member immediately after visiting a suggested production in writing whether they vote “yes” (for an invitation) or “no” (against an invitation).
Productions are considered for selection when at least four jury members have seen them and voted “yes”.
Decisions regarding the selection are made through oral vote, following a discussion among the jury.
The final selection is determined in a final jury session at the beginning/in the middle of January.
Only members who have seen a production are eligible to vote on it. The jury can take a majority vote on re-admitting productions to discussion and selection that had already been declined in the preliminary proceedings.
In case of their being prevented from being present, jury members can only deliver written votes for the final session.
In the final session, jury members can decide on a divergent selection procedure for the respective Theatertreffen, i.e. they may allow for individual decisions under specific circumstances. Previous decisions are superseded by this decision.
The Theatertreffen’s director will issue invitations to the jury sessions and keep the minutes. He or she advises jury members in all questions of organisation.
The results of the votes and the jury’s reasons for their selection decisions may be published.
After mutual agreement, the jury members will provide the director with texts commenting the decisions, in time for publication in all of Theatertreffen’s media.
Jury members are expected to participate in events of the Theatertreffen and to personally give reasons for the selection if required.
The rules of procedure for the Theatertreffen are issued in mutual agreement by the artistic director of the Berliner Festspiele, the director of the Theatertreffen and the artistic directors of the Federal German Cultural Foundation.
The jury can submit suggestions for alterations with a simple majority.
This edition of the rules of procedure was passed by the artistic directors of the Berliner Festspiele, the director of Theatertreffen and the Federal German Cultural Foundation on 23 June 2025.