By Peter Azer
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth has awarded the fifth federal theater prize to promote the German theater scene. With the award, the federal government recognizes the diversity of theater production as one of the main pillars of cultural life in Germany. Municipal theaters and state theaters, private theaters and guest theaters as well as production houses of the independent performing arts in the Federal Republic of Germany can apply for the Federal Theater Prize 2023. In principle, all theaters aimed exclusively at young audiences are also eligible to apply.
Outstanding theater programs from the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons will be awarded. The award ceremony, combined with a specialist symposium, will take place on October 11, 2023 in Berlin.
Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth: “Theatrical art offers space for moving reflection, critical intervention and entertaining experiments. As places of social debate, they are an expression of our open democratic coexistence. The freedom of art to be uncomfortable, to be allowed to provoke and to touch old and new wounds in social discourse is manifested on the stages of our country. With the Federal Theater Prize, we want to bring the full range and artistic depth of their programs into the limelight of public attention.”
The Federal Theater Prize is endowed with prize money totaling 500,000 euros. A main prize and an award in each of three categories will be awarded. The award winners undertake to use the prizes for further artistic program work or to improve artistic production conditions.
Key criteria include an innovative aesthetic-artistic approach to current social issues, diverse audiences, as well as ecological and social sustainability or technological-digital innovations. The prerequisite for an application is regular performances with various plays and socially relevant and participatory program components in your own venue.
The Federal Theater Prize is awarded by the Minister of State for Culture and Media at the suggestion of a specialist jury. The project sponsor is the Federal Republic of Germany Center of the International Theater Institute (ITI) in cooperation with the Performing Arts Fund
