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Venue
Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Berlin

Programme Schedule Tickets Accessibility

FORUM 2026

(Re-)Claim Space: Theatre Spaces and Their Political Dimension

The FORUM is the workshop and professional development programme of the Theatertreffen der Jugend – open to theatre educators, teachers, directors, social workers, artists, students, university lecturers, as well as the leaders of the invited productions. It comprises the areas of practice and dialogue and is officially recognised as continuing professional development.

Please note: The FORUM workshops are held exclusively in German!

Theatre is space. Theatre creates, uses, questions and defends spaces – in a multitude of ways. Under the theme (Re-)Claim Space: Theatre Spaces and Their Political Dimension, this year’s FORUM programme invites participants to explore the concept of space in its many dimensions – as artistic material, as a political instrument, as a space for social encounter and negotiation, and as a pedagogical stance.

At a time of increasing authoritarian tendencies, a shift to the political right, and severe cuts in the cultural sector, the question of which spaces we create, open up and assert becomes particularly urgent. How do we shape theatre as an accessible space for all – through new aesthetic approaches, through language, movement and the body? How can we continue to remove barriers and prevent existing achievements from being undone? How do we work with young artists in ways that create spaces for agency, solidarity and co-creation? And how do we preserve theatre as a resistant, subversive space in the face of societal developments that threaten the very substance of culture and social life?

The workshops in the Practice section offer participants the opportunity to engage with the theme of space from a wide range of artistic, discursive and practice-oriented perspectives:

The FORUM begins with a kick-off workshop that provides a space for participants to get to know one another and to embark on the festival together. Two parallel workshops focus on the theme of “Aesthetics of Access” and the question of how theatre spaces can become more inclusive and accessible: Isabel Schwenk explores the possibilities of Easy Language in theatre, while Miles Wendt introduces the format of the “Relaxed Performance”. Hannah Kowalski from Fundus Theatre offers insight into the practice of the Children’s Election Office – a workshop on collective decision-making with young people that makes theatre tangible as a site of democratic participation. With Margret Schütz from the performance collective Turbo Pascal, participants test strategies of interactive performance: how can audiences be brought into exchange and negotiation, and how does theatre become a space of assembly and negotiation for social processes? Set designer Jeanne Louët invites participants to think about devising performances from the perspective of space – and to discover stage space as dramaturgical material. Public space forms the starting point for the workshop by Soraya Reichl and Lea Sherin Kübler: through performance and an audio walk in public space, participants explore how non-theatre spaces can become sites of play. Finally, voice coach Caroline Intrup from the Rostock University of Music and Theatre (HMT) focuses on the relationship between voice and space and presents the newly developed card set PSST! Making Theatre with the Voice, which opens up practical approaches to this topic. A talk format explicitly addresses the political dimension of the theme: together with cultural policy stakeholders, the FORUM discusses how right-wing and authoritarian tendencies, as well as cuts in the arts, culture and social infrastructure, endanger theatre spaces and which strategies can counter these developments.

The Dialogue section, led by Nina Kruska and Astrid Petzoldt, offers all FORUM participants and professional visitors the opportunity to discuss the invited productions of the Theatertreffen in post-show talks.

Conceptual direction of the FORUM:

Friederike Falk – scientist, performer and theatre pedagogue
Alexander Kuen – theatre pedagogue

Tickets for FORUM workshops

The workshop programme is recognised as an official continuing professional development measure, and participants receive a certificate of attendance.

Tickets for the workshops can be booked from 6 May 2026.

Ticket prices:

A full-day workshop (10:00–16:00) costs €60 / reduced rate for students €40.
A half-day workshop (e.g. 10:00–12:30 or 13:30–16:00 or 14:00–16:30) costs €30 / reduced rate for students €20.

Refreshments are included in the participation fee. Attendance at the post-show discussions is free of charge. Participation in the FORUM is recognised as professional development.

Dialogue

The Dialogue section offers all FORUM participants the opportunity to discuss the invited productions of the Theatertreffen as part of post-performance discussions.

Section Leads:

Astrid Petzoldt – theatre educator, lecturer, trainer in political education und networker
Nina Kruska – teacher

Praxis

Sunday, 31May 2026, 10:00 – 12:30
FORUM Kick-off Workshop

Welcome to the Theatertreffen der Jugend! At the beginning of the festival, this kick-off workshop offers time to get to know one another. Who are “we”, and what defines this temporary “we”? What perspectives are there on theatre work with young people, and how would we like to enter into dialogue about them? What expectations are present in relation to the festival? These and other questions will be explored through practical activities. All group leaders of the invited productions, delegates, and participants in the FORUM programme are warmly invited.

With

Astrid Petzoldt – theatre educator, lecturer, trainer in political education, networker
Nina Kruska – teacher
Friederike Falk – researcher, theatre pedagogue
Alexander Kuen – theatre pedagogue

Sunday, 31 May 2026, 13:30 – 16:00
Easy Language and Aesthetics of Access in Theatre Education Contexts

This practice-oriented workshop is conceived as an introduction to the field of Easy Language. We will explore its rules, principles and practices, as well as its areas of application in contemporary theatre and in theatre education contexts. The workshop conveys practical strategies for using Easy Language. As a tool for accessible communication, Easy Language can support theatre education settings. Its target audiences are highly diverse, with one shared characteristic being developing literacy skills.
Beyond this, the rules, principles and practices of Easy Language can also be understood as artistic and aesthetic tools in the sense of the “Aesthetics of Access” approach and can be applied on stage. What rehearsal practices can be developed inspired by Easy Language? How can Easy Language and its practices be used aesthetically in performance?

With

Isabel Schwenk – cultural studies scholar, theatre educator, (access) dramaturg and performer

Sunday, 31 May 2026, 13:30 – 16:00
A More Relaxed Theatre Experience through Relaxed Performances

Who actually came up with “theatre etiquette”, and who do these rules exclude? Relaxed Performances – or “relaxed shows” – offer a more accessible way into theatre, beyond traditional and rigid conventions. In this workshop, we will learn about and experiment with what is needed to create such conditions, and how not only performances but also working processes and events more generally can be designed in a more relaxed and inclusive way.

With

Milena (Miles) Wendt – access dramaturg and consultant on inclusive working practices and accessibility

Monday, 1 June 2026, 10:00 – 16:00
THE CHILDREN’S ELECTION OFFICE: Collective Decision-Making and the Joy of Politics

Whenever people come together, collective processes emerge. Theatre holds a particular expertise in organising collectives.
How can performative elements be used to make collective decision-making more engaging and enjoyable? How can media and theatrical tools be used in motivating ways to engage with political issues? What if young people were allowed to vote? What would a children’s election office need to look like? How would electoral information need to be communicated and discussed? And how might democracy as a whole change if children and young people were taken seriously as politically relevant subjects?
This workshop presents experiences from the Children’s Election Office 2025 (FUNDUS THEATRE/Research Theatre), in which young people aged 8 to 14 took part. It also includes concrete participatory exercises and formats that can be adapted for work with older groups.

With

Hannah Kowalski – performance artist and cultural studies scholar

Monday, 1 June 2026, 10:00 – 16:00
Artistic Interventions in Public Space

We step outside – into public space, a space that follows different rules than the traditional theatre stage. Here, everything is already present: performers, set, live sound, audience.
Inspired by performative audio walks by Lea Sherin and Soraya Reichl, we will explore the city as a stage and ask: How can we perceive public space in new ways? How can we intervene in it, reinterpret it, or overwrite existing realities?
We will wander through the city, heighten our senses, and develop performative approaches to places we might usually pass by. Using our bodies, we will intervene in the urban space and create short scene collages that are tested on site. The aim is to read the city differently, even if only for a moment.
This workshop is designed for anyone interested in exploring public space performatively, discovering new perspectives on the city, and undertaking artistic experiments together – in a vibrant environment that constantly surprises and remains unpredictable.

With

Soraya Reichl und Lea Sherin – artists, art educators

Tuesday, 2 June 2026, 10:00 – 16:00 Uhr
Campus x Forum
Social Muscle Club
What can you give? What do you need?

The Social Muscle Club is an international performance project that invites people to exercise their “social muscle”: the ability to support each other through generosity, creativity, and exchange. By giving and receiving, shared performances, actions, and encounters emerge. The Club explores how art can create spaces for connection and solidarity in a world often fragmented and driven by competition.
During the Theatertreffen der Jugend, the Social Muscle Club will work for one day with the invited award-winning ensembles. Together, we will develop small performances, gifts, proposals, and ideas for an evening club designed by and for the participants themselves. The process is open and playful: conversations turn into performances, skills become offerings, and unexpected collaborations arise.
In the evening, the space transforms into a lively meeting point, hosting encounters, actions, and short performances. Participants share their ideas, demonstrate what they can give, express what they need, and co-create the atmosphere.
The Social Muscle Club understands this space as something to actively practise: a temporary network of generosity, curiosity, and exchange. It is an invitation to meet, contribute, and discover what becomes possible when a group of young theatre-makers come together to train their social muscles.

With

Jill Emerson – performer, choreographer
Till Rothmund – artist, producer
Stefan Oppenländer – set designer

Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 10:00 – 12:30
Scenography Instead of Set: Designing Space as an Equal Playing Partner

Scenography can do far more than shape the aesthetics and mood of a production: especially during the development of a piece, it can serve as a valuable dialogue partner throughout the rehearsal process – from generating materials to developing scenes, defining content, and structuring the dramaturgy.
This workshop offers an introduction to working with spatial design as a source of creative impulses and provides methods for participatory design and implementation in theatre education contexts.

With

Jeanne Louët – Set and costume designer

Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 10:00 – 16:00
Democracy Education in Interactive Performance Spaces

Here, the stage becomes a playing field, and everyone present participates in decision-making!
We live in an ageing society where the voices of young people are often underrepresented and trust in democracy is declining.
How can theatre become a space for experiencing participation and democratic processes? How can audiences be engaged with socio-political topics and each other? What kind of space encourages interaction?
The workshop introduces performative and theatre-educational approaches from the work of the performance collective Turbo Pascal. Methods will be tried out, adapted, and further developed by the participants themselves. The focus is on the political aspects of interactive theatre practice: polyphony, low-hierarchy spaces, audience participation, and accessible voting and discussion formats.

With

Margaret Schütz – director, performer

Wednesday, 3 June 2026, 13:30 – 16:00
Psst! Making Theatre with Your Voice – Insights into the Card Set

The card set Psst! Making Theatre with Your Voice is designed for everyone who wants to explore their own voice collaboratively. The set contains 94 cards across five categories, offering playful and diverse ways to work with the voice in theatre. Exercises, games, experiments, and knowledge cards encourage artistic experimentation and conscious awareness. Perspectives from voice and speech training, theatre education, and the arts are combined in this workshop.
We will explore selected cards from the main categories practice + perception and play + experiment. The exercises and artistic experiments invite participants to speak more diversely, fill the space with their voices, experiment playfully in groups, and develop initial short presentations. Participants will also gain an overview of the additional categories knowledge, material, forms, and together, and receive guidance on how to work with the card set.

Mit

Caroline Intrup – voice coach, performer, speech artist

Thursday, 4 June 2026
Talk – Make Way! Theatre and Cultural Education in Times of Austerity and Right-Wing Shift

Theatres, independent groups, and cultural education practitioners are coming under increasing pressure. Projects are being cut, venues are closing, and the goal of making theatre accessible to everyone is increasingly failing due to a lack of resources. More and more people are no longer able to work in this field.
At the same time, the political climate is shifting to the right. Parts of society seem willing to abandon fundamental democratic values, while far-right parties that have no interest in open, diverse, and critical education and public discourse are gaining influence.
How are these funding cuts connected to this political development, and what dynamics emerge from this situation? How do theatre educators, arts mediators, teachers, and cultural education practitioners continue to work under these conditions? Which strategies, attitudes, and perspectives help defend artistic and democratic spaces – and ideally expand them further?
In this talk format, three guest speakers with different perspectives and experiences will discuss these questions and invite all participants to join the debate.

With

Hannes Langer, Philipp Harpain and others