Till Eulenspiegel – Teile Von Mir

Jury Statement by Jan Kress and Sonia Franken

Young people from Hildesheim hold up a mirror to us—or rather, true to the title of their piece, an Eulenspiegel. They do so through contemporary dance that confidently and inquisitively engages with a story that appears old and familiar: the tale of Till Eulenspiegel, whose exploits have been told since the sixteenth century and have long been part of the popular imagination. It feels as though all ninety-six surviving tales are danced into the present, filling the stage with a vibrant, ever-changing landscape. The performance continuously reshapes the space through clear entrances and exits, a deliberate interplay between ensemble and solo moments, and a careful balance of density and openness.

One of the tasks during the rehearsal process was: “How do you destroy a space?” followed by: “Now do it as a jazz version.” This seemingly paradoxical exercise encapsulates the production’s distinctive approach to the deliberately elusive figure of Till Eulenspiegel and its translation into the present day. The dancers ask not only, “Who is Till?” but also, “Where is Till within me?” Here, Till is not simply the prankster, the provocateur or the boundary-crosser, but also the voice that doubts, resists and feels overwhelmed. The Hildesheim Till appears only briefly as the familiar jester in a fool’s cap; instead, he becomes an artistic device through which the performers negotiate and embody questions of norms, social roles, tolerance, pressure and their own contradictions.

The piece is, quite literally, a sequence of numbered scenes—yet at the same time it resists that very idea. One scene follows another in rapid succession: small experiments, miniatures and sketches that are by turns uncompromisingly direct, tentative and poetic. Without hesitation, the work shifts between genres and theatrical forms. Particularly striking is the way it uses humour, precision and courage to dismantle the ambiguities of contemporary life. At one point, the very notion of tolerance is dragged onto the stage and taken apart: what does it really mean to be tolerant? At what point does tolerance become indifference—or even self-sacrifice?

During the post-show discussion, one remark captured the essence of the work: “Through Till, we got to know ourselves and each other.” This production draws on a classic source to explore perceptions of self and others, creating a shared space for reflection in which young people can experiment, disagree, fail, laugh—and, throughout it all, take themselves seriously.

As a jury, we hope to see more works like this: productions whose ideas extend beyond the theatre and resonate in everyday life—in school corridors, playgrounds, families and circles of friends. At the same time, we hope theatres and ensembles will build on these impulses to reach an even wider range of young people and encourage voices that have too rarely been heard on stage.