Letter of Intent to Support the Voices of Ukrainian Artists in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and across Europe

As Europeans, theatre-makers and humans, we are deeply shocked by the Russian military aggression that has led to war against a sovereign country and the Ukrainian people. We are outraged by the violation of international law and the brutal military actions that are harming so many people and destroying innocent lives. Our sympathy goes out to all the people of Ukraine, including our many friends and colleagues, who now find themselves surrounded by violence and death. These are people who have lost their homes, their work prospects, and the security of their futures within a few short weeks.

The European art community will not remain silent about this war, or complicit in Russia’s denial of it. In a 21st century Europe that stands for freedom, democracy and an open society, any act of war affects us directly as a community with deeply held shared values. We will not stand idly by as the values we hold dear are traduced by an act of aggressive, brutal invasion.

The support of the Ukrainian cultural scene, however, must not be limited to expressions of solidarity or party-political pronouncements, but must also include the preservation of the thousand-year history of Ukrainian art and culture.

We will do everything in our power to ensure that Ukrainian theatre artists have the opportunity to practice their art in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. We will strive for the artistic integration of Ukraine into the European cultural community. In times when Ukrainian theatres are temporarily deprived of their voices – their stages and their audiences – we must offer them a platform for artistic expression on the stages and in the theatre buildings of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

With this letter of intent, we, the signing cultural organizations, express our intention to welcome, host and stage Ukrainian theatre artists in our venues, to make Ukrainian dramatic work visible to the European community. We therefore request that the Ukraine allows artists of all genders to make whatever cross-border travel is necessary to continue their work outside the Ukraine, work which we insist can be a powerful component of cultural diplomacy towards peace and dialogue in Europe.

Alliance Of International Production Houses / DE
FFT Düsseldorf, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste (Dresden), Kampnagel (Hamburg), Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt am Main), PACT Zollverein (Essen), tanzhaus nrw (Dusseldorf)
Amelie Deuflhard, Stefan Hilterhaus, Annemie Vanackere, representatives

Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe / DE
Dr. Ulrich Peters, artistic director
Sonja Walter, head dramaturge & international contacts

Bayrisches Staatschauspiel (Residenztheater) München / DE
Andreas Beck, artistic director

Berliner Ensemble, Berlin / DE
Oliver Reese, artistic director

Berliner Festspiele, Berlin / DE
Matthias Pees, designated artistic director

Consol Theater Gelsenkirchen / DE
Christian Freudig, Andrea Kramer, Georg Kentrup, board of directors

CO2 Salle de spectacle de la Gruyère / CH
Alain Grand, administrator

Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg / DE
Eva Maria Glitsch, Regina Rossi, Barbara Schmidt-Rohr, Özlem Winkler-Özkan, board of directors

das dokumentartheater berlin / DE
Marina Schubarth, artistic director

Deutsches Nationaltheater & Staatskapelle Weimar GmbH - Staatstheater Thüringen / DE
Hasko Weber, artistic director

DeutschesSchauspielHaus Hamburg / DE
Karin Beier, artistic director

Deutsches Theater Berlin / DE
Ulrich Khuon, artistic director
Birgit Lengers, international contacts & festival curator “Radar Ost”

Deutsches Zentrum des Internationalen Theaterinstituts (ITI) / DE
Yvonne Büdenhölzer, president
Dr. Thomas Engel, director

Dramaturgische Gesellschaft, dg / DE
Harald Wolff, chairman of the board

Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus / DE
Wilfried Schulz, general artistic director

European Theatre Convention, ETC
Heidi Wiley, general manager

euro-scene Leipzig / DE
Christian Watty, festival director & general manager

FELD Theater für junges Publikum, Berlin / DE
Gabi dan Droste, artistic director

Hans Otto Theater Potsdam / DE
Bettina Jahnke, artistic director

Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden / DE
Uwe Eric Laufenberg, general artstic director

Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch, Berlin / DE
Dr. Anna Luise Kiss, university rector

Institut für Sprachkunst, Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, AT
Gerhild Steinbuch, director

Junges Theater Bonn / DE
Moritz Seibert, artistic director

Kosmos Theater Vienna, AT
Veronika Steinböck, artistic director

KULA Compagnie – Transnational Theatre
Julie Paucker & Robert Schuster, board of directors

Landestheater Linz / AT
Hermann Schneider, general artistic director

Le Pommier Theater – Kulturzentrum Neuchâtel / CH
Jan Walther, programme manager

LICHTHOF Theater, Hamburg / DE
Matthias Schulze-Kraft, artistic director

Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin / DE
Shermin Langhoff, artistic director

Münchner Kammerspiele / DE
Barbara Mundel, artistic director

Mut! Theater Hamburg / DE
Mahmut Canbay, artistic director

Nationaltheater Mannheim / DE
Christian Holtzhauer, artistic director

ogalala kreuzberg, Berlin / DE
Christine Dissmann, artistic director

PEM Theater an den Elbbrücken, Hamburg / DE
Özlem Winkler-Özkan, managing director

Prater Digital Berlin / DE
Julian Kamphausen, artistic director

Rheinisches Landestheater Neuss / DE
Caroline Stolz, artistic director

Ringlokschuppen Ruhr, Mülheim / DE
Matthias Frense, artistic director & general manager

Saarländisches Staatstheater / DE
Bodo Busse, artistic director

Salzburger Festspiele / AT
Markus Hinterhäuser, artistic director

Schauspielhaus Graz / AT
Iris Laufenberg, artistic director

Schauspielhaus Zürich / CH
Benjamin von Blomberg & Nicolas Stemann, artistic directors

Schauspiel Bern / CH
Roger Vontobel, artistic director

Schaubude Berlin / DE
Tim Sandweg, artistic director

Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz / DE
Thomas Ostermeier, artistic director

Schauspiel Köln / DE
Stefan Bachmann, artistic director

Staatstheater Braunschweig / DE
Dagmar Schlingmann, general artistic director

Staatstheater Darmstadt / DE
Karsten Wiegand, artistic director

Staatsschauspiel Dresden / DE
Joachim Klement, artistic director

TAK Theater Liechtenstein / LI
Dr. Thomas Spieckermann, artistic director

Teatro Sociale Bellinzona / CH
Gianfranco Helbling, artistic director

Thalia Theater Hamburg / DE
Joachim Lux, artistic director

Theater Aalen / DE
Tonio Kleinknecht, artistic director

Theater Basel / CH
Benedikt von Peter, general artistic director

Theater Chur / CH
Roman Weishaupt, artistic director

Theater Dortmund / DE
Tobias Ehinger, Martin Lizan, Heribert Germeshausen, Xin Peng Wang, Gabriel Feltz, Julia Wissert, Andreas Gruhn, Marcus Lobbes, board of directors

Theaterhaus Stuttgart / DE
Werner Schretzmeier, artistic director

Theater Freiburg / DE
Peter Carp, artistic director

Theater Gütersloh / DE
Christian Schäfer, artistic director

Theaterkahn Dresden / DE
Holger Böhme, artistic director

Theater Konstanz / DE
Karin Becker, artistic director

Theater Lübeck / DE
Caspar Sawade, executive director

Theater Paderborn / DE
Katharina Kreuzhage, artistic director

Theater Winterthur / CH
Bettina Durrer, general director

Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck / AT
Johannes Reitmeier, artistic director
Christina Alexandridis, theatre director & chief dramaturg

TOBS, Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn / CH
Dieter Kaegi, general director

Union of Swiss Theatres / CH
Thierry Luisier, general secretary

Wiener Festwochen / AT
Christophe Slagmuylder, artistic director

WIENER WORTSTAETTEN, Vienna / AT
Martina Knoll & Bernhard Studlar, director

Wuppertaler Bühnen und Sinfonieorchester GmbH / DE
Berthold Schneider, director opera

Zurich University of the Arts/ CH
Marijke Hoogenboom, director performing arts and film