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THEATER DER WELT 2026 Programme Announced – Now Online
At a press conference held today, 26 March at 11 AM CET, the full programme for THEATER DER WELT 2026 was officially unveiled. The international festival, taking place from 18 June to 5 July 2026 in Chemnitz, will present 33 productions from across all continents—many of them shown in Germany for the first time. The complete programme is now available online.
The 17th edition of THEATER DER WELT brings together a wide spectrum of contemporary performing arts, reflecting a diversity of artistic forms and cultural perspectives. Developed for the first time by a nine TFA Alumni co-curatorial team, the programme highlights how artists working in different parts of the world engage with shared global questions. Across the programme, recurring themes include identity, origin, and belonging, often shaped by transnational biographies and layered cultural backgrounds. Questions of power, visibility, and representation are explored alongside Indigenous perspectives and the ongoing impact of colonial histories and resource exploitation. Political realities and their social consequences also form a strong focus. A number of works address conditions shaped by migration, labour, and rapid societal change, while others reflect on the effects of conflict, collective memory, and the erasure or rewriting of histories. Geopolitical tensions and their impact on communities—particularly in relation to current global conflicts—are examined through a range of artistic approaches.
At the same time, the programme explores different forms of coexistence and community, including alternative family structures and participatory formats that invite audiences to actively engage. Questions of how we live together, share resources, and imagine futures are central to many of the works presented. These themes are expressed through a broad range of aesthetic approaches, from text-based and visual theatre to puppetry, music theatre, and immersive and extended reality formats. Contemporary reinterpretations of traditional material sit alongside technologically driven performances, creating a dialogue between different artistic languages and forms of storytelling.
Audiences are invited not only to attend performances but also to take part in discussions and encounters with artists before and after events. Parts of the programme are specifically designed for young audiences and families, and include free and participatory offers.
The programme for THEATER DER WELT 2026 was developed collaboratively by 9 TFA Alumni from Australia (Simon Abrahams), Canada (Josh Dalledonne), Argentina (Rodrigo González Alvarado), South Africa (Faye- Kabali-Kagwa), Greece (Nikos Mavrakis), Saudi Arabia/ Palestine (Aya Nabulsi), India (Srishti Ray), Senegal (Ndèye Mané Touré), and China (Yuan Zhang), resulting in a multi-voiced dramaturgy that places diverse perspectives in dialogue.
THEATER DER WELT is a festival of the German Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), held every three years in a different German city. The 2026 edition is organised by Theater Chemnitz in cooperation with the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH and the Festival Academy Brussels.
The full programme is now available online here.
24 March 2025
Press Release
THEATER DER WELT, Germany’s most significant international theatre festival, has announced the artistic direction for its 17th edition in Chemnitz in 2026. As outlined in the festival’s bid, artistic responsibility will be shared among nine international curators.
The curatorial team, consisting of Simon Abrahams (Australia), Joshua Dalledonne (Canada), Rodrigo González Alvarado (Colombia, Argentina), Faye Kabali-Kagwa (South Africa), Nikos Mavrakis (Greece), Aya Nabulsi (Jordan, Saudi Arabia), Srishti Ray (India), Ndèye Mané Touré (Senegal) and Yuan Zhang (China) has convened in Chemnitz and begun its work.
The festival’s core values—partnership, equality, sustainability, interdisciplinarity, and digitality—will guide the development and exploration of new collaborative models. At the heart of the festival team’s work is the belief that art is created under different conditions. Globally, the festival will seek to recognize commonalities, understand differences, and make them artistically and aesthetically tangible in an interdisciplinary and individual way.
Yvonne Büdenhölzer, President of the International Theatre Institute, German Centre / ITI: "With this new curatorial approach, we are further developing the long-standing festival THEATER DER WELT. I am delighted to entrust the curatorial responsibility to a group of transnationally active curators who bring their diverse local perspectives to global issues and will present shared artistic visions for Theater der Welt 2026 in Chemnitz."
Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth: "From the European Capital of Culture 2025 to the international capital of performing arts: With THEATER DER WELT 2026, Chemnitz is securing another internationally acclaimed cultural event for the coming year. This solidifies Chemnitz’s position as a vibrant cultural city in eastern Germany."
For the first time in the festival’s history, its organization will be handled by a five-genre theatre, an international training and networking organization, and a local cultural producer. Together, Theater Chemnitz, The Festival Academy, and the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH will host THEATER DER WELT in Chemnitz from June 18 to July 5, 2026.
The festival's directorial team consists of Christoph Dittrich (General Director of Theater Chemnitz), Inge Ceustermans (General Director of The Festival Academy), and Stefan Schmidtke (Managing Director, Program of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH).
THEATER DER WELT is a festival organized by the German Centre of the International Theatre Institute e.V. and has been held every three years in a different German city since 1981. The festival program is expected to be announced in March 2026.