At the moment, theater performances in front of full houses or well-attended festivals are still impossible - but hopefully that will change soon. After all, there is finally some positive news to report from the city's cultural sector: Frankfurt and Offenbach have secured the 2023 edition of the renowned ITI festival "Theatre of the World". This edition of the festival, founded in 1981 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI) Centre, was formally advertised for the first time and the selection was made in a two-stage process from a total of four applications. "Theatre of the World" presents groundbreaking achievements and developments in theatre from all continents every three years.
At its meeting on Monday, June 22, the board of the ITI decided in favour of the concept of the Frankfurt/Offenbacher team around Matthias Pees (Künstlerhaus Mousonturm), Matthias Wagner K (Museum Angewandte Kunst) and Anselm Weber (Schauspiel Frankfurt). This was announced today during a press conference with ITI President Joachim Lux, Hesse's Minister of State for Science and the Arts Angela Dorn, Frankfurt's Head of Department for Culture and Science Ina Hartwig, Offenbach's Lord Mayor Felix Schwenke, as well as Matthias Pees, Matthias Wagner K and Anselm Weber.
"We are very pleased about the awarding of the festival ‚Theater der Welt' 2023 to Offenbach-Frankfurt. The concept was striking for several reasons. Firstly, it is an absolute novelty that with the Museum Angewandte Kunst a third strong partner comes on board. This step is consistent and corresponds to the interdisciplinary thinking in the arts. Secondly: The idea of thinking together about the very different urban areas of Offenbach and Frankfurt, and of linking them through art and culture, could point the way to the future for the region beyond the specific occasion. Very concrete partnerships with cultural institutions in Offenbach are already being planned. Driitens: "On the one hand, the Rhine-Main region stands for globalization, and at the same time it is Germany's largest agglomeration of migrant and post-migrant communities, which are also to be integrated into the ‚Theater der Welt' festival," says Joachim Lux, president of the ITI Center.
An exceptional location for an international theater festival
"It is great that ‚Theater of the World' is coming to Hesse in 2023. I congratulate Schauspiel Frankfurt, Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and Museum Angewandte Kunst as the driving forces behind the successful application. I particularly like the joint approach of Frankfurt and Offenbach: both cities shape the Rhine-Main region, both stand for international coexistence, for a melting pot of many cultural influences that also make themselves strongly felt in the arts. An international theatre festival brings this extraordinary location to the fore - and it also opens up the world of the stage to people who otherwise do not regularly go to the theatre. As Minister for Science and the Arts, I am particularly proud of our university network of the Hessian Theatre Academy, which trains creative, professional young theatrical talent. ‚Theater der Welt' is in the right place in Frankfurt, Offenbach and Hesse for all these reasons," says Angela Dorn, Hesse Minister for Science and the Arts.
Commissioner for Culture Ina Hartwig emphasizes: "That ‚Theater of the World' will take place in Frankfurt and Offenbach in 2023 is a gain for the urban space and a strengthening of the democratic public. Not only the theatre scene will benefit from this, but our city as a whole. The international potential of Frankfurt and Offenbach can thus be further exploited, new impulses given and discourses stimulated. The involvement of the Museum Angewandte Kunst as a third partner together with the Schauspiel Frankfurt and the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm is particularly pleasing. Our museums do excellent work and are pioneers in many respects - to deepen this in the performative, I very much support."
"An inspiring news for the city and the region" is what Offenbach's mayor and head of culture Felix Schwenke calls the ITI's decision for the Frankfurt and Offenbach double. "With ‚Theater der Welt' comes one of the most diverse theater festivals in the Federal Republic. That this festival with excellently curated productions may be hosted by our two cities is a great honor and confirms the quality and diversity of theater and culture in the region. With the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, one of the three most important initiators of the project, we have a long-standing collaboration that is great in terms of both humanity and content, and which perfectly demonstrates that the strength of the Frankfurt-Rhine-Main region also lies in its commonality. We also feel a strong bond with the Schauspiel Frankfurt and the Museum Angewandte Kunst, and see in the association of our cities the right foundation for making this festival of theatre an event that will leave its mark for a long time to come. In Offenbach, too, we have a diverse cultural scene including theatre, even if we are not home to a state or municipal theatre. Theater im t-Raum and Theateratelier Bleichstraße 14 H are small professional theaters, the municipal Theateressenz brings numerous productions from all over Germany to our Capitol Theater, which is steeped in history, the ‚Strong Pieces' Festival of the Cultural Region and exciting cooperations in the performing arts through the Kulturfonds shape the theater landscape of our city. Not to forget with the theatre club ‚Elmar' a great amateur theatre company over 100 years old. The jury's selection proves once again: the region is not conceivable without Frankfurt and Frankfurt is stronger with the region. I therefore also thank Dr. Ina Hartwig that her cultural policy takes this insight into account - only in this way can we become winners together, as we are today."
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the edition of "Theater der Welt" in Düsseldorf scheduled for this year has been rescheduled for June 17 to July 4, 2021.
For more info, visit http://www.theaterderwelt.de
