The 2026 Shortlisted Productions

Basel

Die Glasmenagerie (The Glass Menagerie) (selected)
A memory play by Tennessee Williams
Direction: Jaz Woodcock-Stewart
Premiere: 30.1.2025
Theater Basel
theater-basel.ch

Berlin

Donation
by Atom Egoyan
Direction and costumes: Atom Egoyan
World premiere: 25.4.2025
Maxim Gorki Theater
gorki.de

A Year without Summer (selected)
by Florentina Holzinger
Direction, choreography and performance: Florentina Holzinger
World premiere: 21.5.2025 (Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz)
A production by Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Florentina Holzinger/Spirit and neon lobster in co-production with Tanzquartier Wien, International Summer Festival Kampnagel, Dansenhus Stockholm, DE SINGEL, Maska Ljubljana, asphalt Festival, Rising Melbourne, Factory International Manchester, Divine Comedy International Theater Festival / Łaźnia Nowa Theater (Kraków) and Marvaða Iceland
Funded by the Capital Cultural Fund (HKF) and the City of Vienna Department of Cultural Affairs
volksbuehne.berlin

Peer Gynt
by Vinge / Müller / Reinholdtsen
Direction: Vegard Vinge and Ida Müller
Premiere: 25.9.2025
Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
volksbuehne.berlin

Wachs oder Wirklichkeit
by Christoph Marthaler, Anna Viebrock, Malte Ubenauf and the ensemble
with texts by Jürg Laederach
Direction: Christoph Marthaler
World premiere: 13.3.2025
Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
volksbuehne.berlin

Bochum

Guernica Guernica
by and with FC Bergman (Stef Aerts, Joé Agemans, Thomas Verstraeten, Marie Vinck), et al., plus 80 extras
World premiere: 19.9.2025 (Ruhrtriennale)
A production by FC Bergman and Toneelhuis in co-production with Ruhrtriennale, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg and BRODER
ruhrtriennale.de

Oracle
by Łukasz Twarkowski and Anka Herbut 
Direction: Łukasz Twarkowski
World premiere: 28.8.2025 (Ruhrtriennale)
A production by Dailes Theatre Latvia and Ruhrtriennale in co-production with New Error, Comédie de Genève, Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa, DE SINGEL and Adam Mickiewicz Institute
ruhrtriennale.de

Cologne

Imagine
by Alexander Kerlin, Kay Voges and the ensemble
Direction: Kay Voges
World premiere: 26.9.2025
Schauspiel Köln
schauspiel.koeln

Onkel Wanja (Uncle Vanya)
by Anton Tschechow
German version by Angela Schanelec based on a translation by Arina Nestieva
Direction: Itay Tiran
Premiere: 11.10.2025
Schauspiel Köln
schauspiel.koeln

Cottbus

Der Hauptmann von Köpenick (selected)
A German fairy tale by Carl Zuckmayer
Direction and stage design: Sebastian Hartmann
Premiere: 20.9.2025
Staatstheater Cottbus
staatstheater-cottbus.de

Freiburg

Der zerbrochne Krug (The Broken Jug)
A play by Heinrich von Kleist
Direction: Yana Eva Thönnes
Premiere: 25.10.2025
Theater Freiburg
theater.freiburg.de

Halle

Penthesile:a:s
by MarDi 
German translation by Dorothea Arnold und Fanny Bouquet
Direction: Sandra Hüller and Tom Schneider
German language premiere: 17.4.2025
Bühnen Halle – neues theater Halle
buehnen-halle.de

Hamburg

Vampire’s Mountain
by Philippe Quesne
Concept, direction, stage and costume design: Philippe Quesne
World premiere: 16.10.2025
Deutsches SchauSpielHaus Hamburg
schauspielhaus.de

War Games
by and with SKART & Masters of the Universe
Premiere: 9.4.2025 (Kampnagel Internationale Kulturfabrik, Hamburg)
A production by SKART & Masters of the Universe and Kampnagel, supported by the Jupiter – Performing Arts for Young Audiences programme of the German Federal Cultural Foundation. Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Funded by the Hamburgische Kulturstiftung. In co-operation wih ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS.
kampnagel.de

Arme Arme Reiche Reiche
Eine Suche an den Rändern (A search in the margins)
By Dagrun Hintze (Reiche Reiche), Sean Keller (Arme Arme)
Choreography and direction: Vasna Aguilar and Henri Hüster
Premiere: 25.1.2025
LICHTHOF Theater
Funded by the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media, Fonds Darstellende Künste with resources from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, and the LICHTHOF Foundation
lichthof-theater.de

Ubu
by Alfred Jarry
Translation by Heinz Schwarzinger
Direction: Johan Simons 
Premiere: 28.2.2025
Thalia Theater
thalia-theater.de

Kassel

Don Karlos
A dramatic poem by Friedrich Schiller
Direction: Julia Hölscher
Premiere: 5.4.2025
Staatstheater Kassel
staatstheater-kassel.de

Leipzig/Vienna

Three Times Left is Right (selected)
by Julian Hetzel
Concept and direction: Julian Hetzel
World premiere: 17.5.2025 (Wiener Festwochen | Free Republic of Vienna)
A production by Studio Julian Hetzel in co-production with Wiener Festwochen | Free Republic of Vienna and Schauspiel Leipzig, in co-operation with De Balie (Amsterdam), SPRING Performing Arts Festival (Utrecht) and Theater Utrecht 
julian-hetzel.com | festwochen.at | schauspiel-leipzig.de

Magdeburg

Krieg und Frieden (War and Peace)
by Roland Schimmelpfennig after Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
with texts by Bastian Lomsché and Charly Hübner
Direction: Charly Hübner 
World premiere: 30.5.2025
Theater Magdeburg
theater-magdeburg.de

Munich

Katzelmacher
by Rainer Werner Fassbinderwith an epilogue by Emre Akal
Direction: Emre Akal
Premiere: 10.4.2025
Münchner Kammerspiele
muenchner-kammerspiele.de

Mephisto (selected)
based on the novel of a career by Klaus Mann
Direction: Jette Steckel
Premiere: 28.2.2025
Münchner Kammerspiele
muenchner-kammerspiele.de

Wallenstein (selected)
A slaughter feast in seven courses
adapted from Friedrich Schiller
Direction: Jan-Christoph Gockel
Premiere: 4.10.2025
Münchner Kammerspiele
muenchner-kammerspiele.de

Nuremberg

Mixtape oder Die unzerbrechliche Gemeinschaft der freien Republiken
by Boris Nikitin
Direction: Boris Nikitin
Premiere: 16.5.2025
Staatstheater Nürnberg
staatstheater-nuernberg.de

Potsdam

Serotonin (selected)
based on the novel “Sérotonine” by Michel Houellebecq
German translation by Stephan Kleiner
Adapted for the stage by Sebastian Hartmann
Direction and stage design: Sebastian Hartmann
Premiere: 13.12.2025
Hans Otto Theater
hansottotheater.de

Stuttgart

Die Welt im Rücken (selected)
by Thomas Melle
Direction: Lucia Bihler
Premiere: 27.9.2025
Schauspiel Stuttgart
schauspiel-stuttgart.de

Vienna

Die Vegetarierin (The Vegetarian)
based on the novel by Han Kang
German translation by Ki-Hyang Lee
Direction: Marie Schleef 
German language premiere: 9.5.2025
Burgtheater
burgtheater.at

Fräulein Else (selected)
freely adapted from Arthur Schnitzler 
by Leonie Böhm and Julia Riedler
Direction: Leonie Böhm
Premiere: 8.2.2025
Volkstheater
volkstheater.at

Krankheit oder Moderne Frauen
by Elfriede Jelinek 
Direction: Claudia Bauer
Premiere: 24.1.2025
Volkstheater
volkstheater.at

The Second Woman
by Nat Randall and Anna Breckon
Concept, direction and text: Nat Randall and Anna Breckon
World premiere Vienna version: 28.5.2025 (Wiener Festwochen | Free Republic of Vienna)
A production by La Mecànica with the support of Next Wave (Melbourne), European tour initially supported by Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Bitò Produccions (Girona), Festival Grec de Barcelona and Teatro Central (Sevilla) 
The Vienna version is a production by Wiener Festwochen I Free Republic of Vienna
festwochen.at

Wiesbaden

ER PUTZT
by Valeria Gordeev
An ASMR performance by Marie Schleef and team
Direction: Marie Schleef 
World premiere: 18.1.2025
Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden
staatstheater-wiesbaden.de

Zurich

Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
based on Friedrich Nietzsche
Direction and stage design: Sebastian Hartmann 
Premiere: 3.5.2025
Schauspielhaus Zürich
schauspielhaus.ch

Are You Ready to Die?
Liminal states before execution
by Marie Schleef and the ensemble
based on a gap in Friedrich Schiller’s The Maid of Orleans
Direction: Marie Schleef 
World premiere: 19.9.2025
Schauspielhaus Zürich in collaboration with Amnesty International Switzerland
schauspielhaus.ch

Die kleine Meerjungfrau
A fluid fairy fantasy
by Bastian Kraft and the ensemble
based on a novel by Hans Christian Andersen
Direction: Bastian Kraft 
Premiere: 25.1.2025
Schauspielhaus Zürich in co-production with Thalia Theater (Hamburg)
schauspielhaus.ch

Hekabe (Hecuba)
by Euripides
German translation by Dietrich Ebener
Direction: Angeliki Papoulia and Christos Passalis
Premiere: 12.12.2025
Schauspielhaus Zürich
schauspielhaus.ch

Il Gattopardo (selected)
by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Translation by  Burkhart Kroeber
Adapted for the stage by Pınar Karabulut and Hannah Schünemann
Direction: Pınar Karabulut
Premiere: 29.11.2025
Schauspielhaus Zürich
schauspielhaus.ch

Romeo & Julia 
An Italo-disco-opera
by Bonn Park and Ben Roessler based on the play by William Shakespeare
Direction und Text: Bonn Park 
World premiere: 22.2.2025
Schauspielhaus Zürich in co-operation with Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), BA Theatre, Acting
schauspielhaus.ch