Stories

The first members of the jury for the current edition of the festival took their first journeys to find the ten most remarkable productions of the year back in 2022. Between then and the beginning of 2025, they have seen an incredible 3,943 productions – and gathered countless experiences, impressions and memories. Now Eva Behrendt, Janis El-Bira, Valeria Heintges, Sabine Leucht, Martin Thomas Pesl, Katrin Ullmann and Sascha Westphal open their travel bags, phone records and wardrobes just enough to offer a glimpse of the many aspects of a juror’s daily life.

What does it sound like when longing becomes loud? When does theatre touch not just the mind, but the whole body? What does it mean to stand between two cultures –  as a daughter, as a son, as a human being?

Seventeen pupils from Rheingau Gymnasium and the LiteraturInitiative Berlin (LIN) experienced the production “Unser Deutschlandmärchen” by Berlin’s Maxim Gorki Theatre at the Theatertreffen 2025 – and responded: in texts, images and videos that sometimes quietly marvel, sometimes loudly discuss, but always remain very close to their own emotions.

For 60 years, the International Forum has been bringing theatre-makers from around the world to Berlin for two weeks. Over these six decades, the International Forum has hosted a total of 2,476 artists from 90 countries. In 2025, we celebrated the anniversary of this global space for resonance within the Theatertreffen with the special programme “Forum Theatertreffen 1965–2025”, curated by Aljoscha Begrich, Sima Djabar Zadegan and Nora Hertlein-Hull, featuring contributions from 53 alumni. Here you can gain an insight into this anniversary programme. Welcome to the Story “60 Years of the International Forum”!