Invitation to apply
Apply now for the 41st Theatertage am See

41st Theatertage am See and Youth and School Theater Days Baden-Württemberg from 23. to 29.03.2026  

Motto: Brave New World

The future used to be better.
Karl Valentin

Is that true? How much irony, sarcasm is there in that quote? In his 1932 novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley depicted a dystopian society full of control and without freedom. George Orwell followed up in 1949 with his novel 1984. Both paint a bleak picture of a possible totalitarian future where society is controlled down to the most private life by means of science, technology, and media.

The reality of 2026 has long since overtaken that scenario in parts. 500 years ago, the farmers and craftsmen between Upper Swabia, Allgäu and Lake Constance fought for freedom rights in totalitarian, feudal power structures and, with their goals based on freedom and equality, provided the first impetus on the way to the liberal societies which are possible today, albeit always under threat.

Our freedom today is under pressure from many directions. Media giants are influencing our consumer behavior, our thinking, the way we shape our relationships and our attitudes. We go along with them, under the promise of a comfortable new world. We voluntarily hand over our data and therefore ourselves. Artificial intelligence facilitates processes in everyday life and in the world of work, taking many things off our hands, if not everything. We are categorized or willingly place ourselves in media bubbles. Social media platforms determine the forms of our communication right down to the aesthetics.

Where do we stay? What kind of world do we live in, do we want to live in? What does this mean for our society? How do we deal with each other? Does communication which goes beyond the respective “followers” still work at all? Can we still talk about different positions? Can we find ways that bring us together beyond what divides us? Can there still be social cohesion in that way?

What content and formats can we find with our art form “theater” to bring this divisiveness, exclusion and danger to the stage, but also to unite and bring us together? How do we fill the freedom of the art of theater with life? Which ways and attitudes do we develop to exchange and reconcile our differences and perceptions? What can amateur theater, youth and school theater contribute to giving us reason for an optimistic view? May the future be better than what the present promises. Or with reference to Karl Valentin’s quote: At some point the future will be brighter again.

Application deadline for both categories: 25.11.2025