Institution Category: Institution

Theater
Thikwa e.V.

Theater<br>Thikwa e.V.
© Holger Rudolph

About us

The repertoire of Theater Thikwa in Berlin-Kreuzberg spans everything from dance performances, spoken drama, and physical and musical theater to two-man comedies. The ensemble collaborates with writers, directors, choreographers, dancers, artists, filmmakers, musicians, and actors – both with and without disabilities – to develop its productions.

The Project

FairChange Thikwa

Theater Thikwa faces the urgent task of creating long-term perspectives for its artists with disabilities – beyond systemic limitations. Current conditions, such as the workshop model or unclear funding prospects, make fair pay, participation, and individual development difficult. At the heart of the project lies the question: How can artistic work and fair compensation for disabled artists be shaped in a needs-based and sustainable way? Building on an initial assessment, two pilot projects will be developed – one aimed at advancing the workshop model with greater flexibility and access to the regular labor market, the other focused on testing an alternative cooperation model with new partners. The goal is to find new ways for talents from inclusive contexts to contribute effectively to municipal and state theaters, the independent arts scene, and educational work – supported by structures that are open and permeable.

Contact

Laura Besch

Künstlerische Leitung

Jenny Mahla

Projektdramaturg:in

Theater
Bremen

Theater<br>Bremen
© Ralf Kokemöller

About us

The Theater Bremen is a municipal theater with a national reputation. It sees itself as a public space for artistic and political reflection on the challenges, risks, freedoms, and moments of joy that shape life in the modern metropolis.

Project

Be involved – Your Theater of the Future

What happens when a theater opens itself up to the city – not just as a stage, but as a space for shared creation?
Theater Bremen is reimagining the institution beyond the bounds of professional productions – as a participatory space for shaping urban society. Building on its wide-ranging experience with participatory projects and networks across different neighborhoods, the theater aims to transform temporary formats of civic involvement into lasting structures.
The key question is: How can a theater open up its artistic, technical, and spatial resources to everyone? How can co-determination – through citizens’ advisory boards or collaborative programming, for instance – be firmly embedded in the institution?
The ultimate goal is to create a model for a theater that doesn’t just welcome people in, but actively involves them – as equals, in meaningful and lasting ways.

Contact

Rebecca Hohmann

Künstlerisches Leitungsteam Theater Bremen

Gregor Runge

Künstlerisches Leitungsteam Theater Bremen

Puppen
theater
Magde
burg

Puppen<br>theater<br>Magde<br>burg
© Antropka, Jazek Poralla

About us

Founded in 1958, the Puppentheater Magdeburg has grown into one of the most successful ensemble puppet theaters in Germany. Each year, it welcomes over 50,000 guests to its stages, which together offer more than 200 seats.

Project

Future p. – Tradition Meets Innovation in the Age of AI

How can traditional puppet theater gain new relevance through the use of modern technology – for younger audiences, for the city, for the future?
Puppentheater Magdeburg and the Industrial Design Department at Magdeburg-Stendal University are joining forces to explore new directions. At the heart of the project is an interdisciplinary fusion of art, craftsmanship, and technology: using 3D printing, robotics, and digital media to innovate puppet-making, reimagine the theater experience, and present the puppet collection in new and engaging ways. But this is about more than just technological advancement. It’s about developing new forms of cultural education – especially for children and young people. Together with students and experts from various fields, the project is creating a model for how cultural institutions can become an integral part of a digital, connected, and sustainable urban society.

Contact

Moritz von Schurer

Leitender Dramaturg

Sabine Schramm

Intendantin

Konzert
haus
Berlin

Konzert<br>haus <br>Berlin
© E. Gelmetti

About us

Today’s Konzerthausorchester Berlin was founded in 1952 as the municipal Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester (BSO).

The Project

Konzerthaus nextdoor

The Konzerthaus Berlin is embarking on a new chapter – reaching out into the city not merely through another dialogue format, but through a profound shift towards a new institutional identity. The aim is not only to affirm its place as a central and open concert hall on the Gendarmenmarkt, but also to engage meaningfully in lasting collaborations within Berlin’s urban life, taking in impulses from local neighbourhoods, diverse musical cultures, and the lived realities of the city. How can a concert hall build truly productive relationships with such a diverse urban society? Not as a one-way initiator, but in the spirit of genuine, mutual learning. To pursue this question, the Konzerthaus will initiate its first partnerships in various districts – designed to be long-term, built on equal footing, and shaped by local needs and potentials. In this way, decentralised presences will complement the opening of the house – enabling continuous transformation, both internally and externally, in step with the city’s dynamic rhythms.

Contact

Lucilla Schmidinger

Assistent to the Artistic Director

Tobias Rempe

Artistic Director

Stiftung
Neue
Synagoge
Berlin

Centrum Judaicum
Stiftung <br>Neue <br>Synagoge <br>Berlin
© Jana Blechschmidt

About us

Neue Synagoge Berlin – for over 25 years a place of encounter, remembrance, and education in the heart of the city.

The Project

New Synagogue – New Paths

How can a site of remembrance become an active space for dialogue and participation in today’s complex world? The Stiftung Neue Synagoge Berlin – Centrum Judaicum is seeking to further develop its role as a cultural and educational institution – with creativity, experimentation and a forward-looking spirit. Positioned between the demands of the digital age, the need for broader audience engagement and a strong sense of social responsibility, the foundation is exploring new ways of responding actively to change. In an environment often shaped by competition for resources, the programme now creates space for open exchange – across disciplines, institutions and borders. Dialogue with colleagues and experts will support a rethinking of existing strategies and open up fresh perspectives. The goal is to develop innovative formats that enable genuine participation – and to strengthen the foundation in the long term as an open, learning space for remembrance and culture.

Contact

Simon Behringer

Referent für Funds & Friends

Dr. Anja Siegemund

Direktorin

Neuköllner
Oper

Neuköllner <br>Oper
© Matthias Heyde

About us

Today a leading production house for new music theater and an anchor institution between state operas and the independent scene – at the time one of the first free, exemplary groups in divided Berlin.

The Project

Opera for Neukölln

How can a music theatre become a place where people from the neighbourhood truly see themselves reflected? The Neuköllner Oper wants to tackle this question head-on and answer it together with local communities. Early collaborations with schools, neighbourhood initiatives, and cultural organisations were important steps but have not yet led to lasting change for the house. The programme now provides the space to engage openly and with time: with convenience stores, gyms, cultural associations, cafés – with everyone who shapes Neukölln. This will allow initial forms of collaboration to grow organically from within, rather than being imposed from outside – showing that this house belongs to everyone. Together, needs will be explored, first partnerships tested, and new ways of working developed. The aim is an opening that is not merely symbolic, but that transforms the house in its structure, programme, and connection to the district over the long term.

Contact

Anica Happich

Projektleitung

Rainer Simon

Künstlerische Leitung

Deutsches
Hygiene-
Museum
Dresden

Deutsches <br>Hygiene-<br>Museum<br>Dresden
© Oliver Killig

About us

Deutsches Hygiene-Museum (DHMD) is an open forum for discussion, open to everyone who is interested in the cultural, social and scientific revolutions taking place in our society at the beginning of the 21st century.

The Project

Opening Time: The DHMD in Transformation

Faced with social polarization and financial uncertainty, the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden is using the challenges of our time as a stimulus for profound change. With a long-term strategy, the museum aims to evolve from a purely curatorially-focused institution into a space that increasingly prioritises participation and diversity. To achieve this, opening processes will be structurally embedded, and sustainable alliances with the city’s community and national partners will be built. In this way, the museum is transforming into a multi-voiced forum for social dialogue – open, accessible, and future-oriented.

Contact

Anja Sommer

Kooperationen

Iris Edenheiser

Director

Stadt
theater
Fürth

Stadt<br>theater <br>Fürth
© THOMAS LANGER

About us

The theatre’s annual programme comprises around ten in-house productions, co-productions, and a wide range of guest performances across all artistic genres. In-house productions cover drama, music theatre, dance, and theatre for young audiences. In addition, the theatre’s own “Brückenau” division and the Community Stage offer a variety of participatory programmes.

The Project

Stadt Theater Plus – Sustainable Structures for Continuing Performance

The Stadttheater Fürth is developing a new model for mobilising and distributing theatre productions as a fourth pillar of the house, a “Stadttheater Plus Land.” The plan includes building a network of theatres, especially touring venues, that can benefit from this structure and actively participate – along with the infrastructure and logistics needed to enable touring productions from Stadttheater Fürth. The focus is on the efficient use of existing resources, supporting theatre offerings in rural and regional areas, and improving working conditions for visiting artists. The project is also guided by a research-based motivation: the director brings her extensive study of touring theatre into practice, aiming to establish a new form of cooperative, mobile city theatre that strengthens cultural participation in a sustainable way.

Contact

Helene Mayerhofer

Projektkoordinatorin

Dr. Silvia Stolz

Intendantin

Theater
Ober
hausen

Theater <br>Ober<br>hausen
© Theater Oberhausen

About us

Stadttheater Oberhausen opened in 1920. Originally a stage within an inn that was then remodelled and expanded a number of times, it was initially dedicated solely to dramatic works. After just one performance season, however, an opera and operetta ensemble was added.

The Project

Satellite Good Hope

How can theatre get closer to the everyday lives of the city’s residents – especially in places where it has rarely reached before? Theater Oberhausen is developing a concept for a mobile “satellite” that brings artistic productions, participatory formats, and local collaborations directly into neighbourhoods. The goal is a flexible space for performance and reflection that connects with local clubs, community initiatives, or temporary-use projects, bringing theatre into new (relational) spaces. This is not about one-off interventions, but about creating a structural presence in the city. The satellite is part of the overall programme, linked thematically to the main season, and will be developed together with local partners. The vision: theatre as a unifying force in urban life.

Contact

Laura Mangels

Dramaturgin

Dr. Kathrin Mädler

Intendantin

FUNDUS
THEATER

FUNDUS <br>THEATER
© Margaux Weiß

About us

Since 1997, FUNDUS THEATER has been Hamburg’s premiere venue for selected mobile children’s theater. It is home to the Hamburg Children’s Theater Festival and is dedicated to supporting emerging artists in the fields of performative research and participatory theater for young audiences.

The Project

Competence Center for Child Participation and Intergenerational Dialogue

What is needed to ensure that children are not only addressed in theater, but genuinely involved? FUNDUS THEATER takes this question seriously – and, drawing on its many years of experience, plans to develop a competence center for child participation and intergenerational dialogue. Together with both local and national partners, they are embarking on an open process: How can structures be created that embed children’s perspectives not only in individual projects, but on a lasting basis? In collaboration with universities, the German Child Protection Association, the City of Hamburg, FELD Theater, and not least its own children’s advisory board, FUNDUS THEATER aims to develop a model for real participation – positioning itself as a learning, researching institution carried equally by children and adults.

Contact

Sibylle Peters

Künstlerische Leiterin

Gundula Hölty

Geschäftsführerin