Theatres outside the major cultural metropolitan cities do special work: they often form the core of their cities or districts not only spatially but also culturally, they are meeting places and discussion spaces, they build bridges and create new perspectives, and at the same time they are confronted with challenges all their own. Since 2015, the Federal Theatre Prize has been designed to give these theatres and their work the attention they deserve. In four rounds of competition, 42 theatres have been honored so far.

The German Centre of the International Theatre Institute dedicated a touring exhibition to the importance of theatre work beyond the metropolitan cities. In addition to insights into the work of the theatres that have been awarded the Federal Theatre Prize so far, various formats and artistic contributions were used to show and enable visitors to experience how theatre work is shaped under different local conditions and structures, how artists can engage in dialogue with various urban and rural communities and what kind of place the "stage" can be. After the opening on 4th of April at the Salzlandtheater, Staßfurt, the exhibition invited visitors to view it from April to July 2022 in the foyers of nine of the most recently awarded eleven theatres in the form of a pop-up box format. In addition to a digital Federal Theatre Prize archive, various artistic works by Larissa Jenne, Anja Riese, Micha Kranixfeld and the independent collective theatrale subversion were on display.

04.04. - 19.04. Salzlandtheater, Staßfurt
20.04. - 05.05. WUK Theaterquartier, Halle
06.05. - 19.05. Wuppertaler Bühne (Oper)
20.05. - 30.05. Schlosstheater Moers
31.05. - 09.06. Theater an der Ruhr, Mülheim an der Ruhr
10.06. - 20.06. G7, Mannheim
21.06. - 11.07. Theater an der Glocksee, Hannover
12.07. - 21.07. LOT Theater, Braunschweig
22.07. - 01.08. Jahrmarkttheater, Bolstewiebeck

03.08. - 31.08. Media Library for Dance and Theatre (ITI), Berlin

Artistic contributors

• theatrale subversion – “HIER DRAUßEN” – a cinematic essay on independent production in Saxony and elsewhere (duration: 8 minutes)
  • „HIER DRAUßEN“ is a filmic reflection on one's own working structures and processes, on cooperation with institutions and on independent producing beyond the big metropolises.
  • Concept/Text/Speakers: Romy Weyrauch & Michael Neil McCrae
    Director: Romy Weyrauch
    Cinematography & camera: David Campesino, Norman Grotegut, Romy Weyrauch
    Music: Daniel Williams
    Editing and post-production: Maks Pallas
    Sound: Helge Petzold
    Many thanks to our collaborators and all project participants depicted in the film!
• Larissa Jenne - DIY DIORAMA_ Stage model to touch and play by yourself
• Micha Kranixfeld - "An art of relationships" - Glossary
• Anja Riese - Illustrations

Exhibition Design

Felix Sodemann - Curation and production
Emma Heidelbach - Development and realisation of the exhibition design
Lilian Leupold - Coordination
Sophia Michailidis - Assistance
Michael Freundt - Project Management Federal Theatre Prize