Open Call (English version)

Interner Link: Download: Open Call

The 12th edition of the festival Politik im Freien Theater will showcase 12-15 guest performances from the professional independent performing arts scene, along with a diverse programme of art, culture and discourse events. The overall programme is designed to engage the city’s population of all age groups, the surrounding rural areas, as well as professionals.

Content-wise, the Leipzig edition of the festival will focus on the thematic notion of “borders”. 80 years after the end of World War II, 35 years after German reunification, and in light of current political developments, the festival will explore border-making and border-crossing projects in various contexts. Through the guest performances and a wide range of different events, the audience is invited to explore borders between cultural identities, social classifications, political camps, societal contradictions, states, urban and rural areas, as well as between artistic disciplines.

A professional jury will select the performance programme. The selection will include independent, professionally produced, innovative, and cross-genre theatre productions. These should engage with the thematic focus on “borders” in a compelling manner, both aesthetically and content related, within a regional, national, and/or global context. The selection of guest performances produced in German-speaking countries will be complemented by a smaller number of international works.

Possible thematic aspects that can be addressed in the theatre productions, in relation to current discourses and societal challenges, include:

Cultural borders +++ Geographical borders +++ National borders +++ Societal borders +++ Class barriers and social classifications +++ Barriers, access and participation +++ Limits of the self +++ Gender and sex +++ East and West German identities +++ Borders between urban areas and the countryside +++ Limits of democracy +++ Limits of growth +++ Crossing boundaries between artistic disciplines +++ Posthumanism

Application requirements

Applications are open to professional independent theatre companies and artists from German-speaking countries who relate to the topic of ‘borders’ in their projects. Productions that were created in the seasons 2022/23 and 2023/24 can apply with documentation of the work for guest performances as part of the festival. Projects that are created in the season 2024/25 and premiere before February 28th, 2025, can apply with the concept of the current work and documentation of previous productions

The connection between theatre and politics is interpreted broadly in the selection process, encompassing productions that explicitly address political content, those whose creation process itself represents a political act, and formats that are based on audience activation and participation.

Politik im Freien Theater is committed to consider a wide range of professional working practices, configurations, forms, and backgrounds in the selection of productions. The range of stage and audience dimensions can vary from “one-on-one performances” to large-scale formats for up to 800 spectators.

The festival is also explicitly aimed at young audiences: one third of the invited guest performances on the festival theme should be suitable for young audiences (from approx. 8 years of age).

Only one application per artist or company is possible.
The jury must be able to see the productions by February 28th, 2025 (live or video-registration).

Application Process

Application deadline: December 15th, 2024

Please send the complete application materials (application form and max. 1 PDF attachment with max. 5 MB) by e-mail to the following address:
E-Mail Link: open-call@politikimfreientheater.de

Contact for queries:

E-Mail Link: politikimfreientheater@bpb.de

The application form for professional independent theatre companies is available for Interner Link: download.