Theater der Welt 2026 - First Productions Announced

Three first productions for Theater der Welt 2026 have been announced, marking the start of ticket sales for Germany’s largest international festival of contemporary performing arts. The festival will take place 18 June – 5 July 2026 in Chemnitz, shortly after the city’s year as European Capital of Culture. The edition is co-hosted by The Festival Academy, Chemnitz Theatre, and Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH. 

Nine international curators - all Alumni of The Festival Academy - are shaping the artistic programme, bringing together perspectives from across continents. The full festival programme marks the culmination of the joint co-curation process and will be announced on 26 March 2026. 

First programme highlights include: 

“Stream of Memory” - Papermoon Puppet Theatre (Indonesia)
European Premiere – 19 & 20 June

The internationally renowned Papermoon Puppet Theatre presents a visually rich puppet performance combining handcrafted puppets, dance, music and video. The piece follows the giant figure Kali on a journey through cities, rivers and forests, exploring themes of memory, loss and human connection - told entirely without words.

“Nkoli: The Vogue-Opera” - created by Philip Miller
Directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair and John Trengove
European Premiere - 23 & 24 June

This vibrant music theatre production tells the story of anti-apartheid activist Simon Nkoli. Blending opera, dance and live performance, the work takes the form of a celebratory ballroom event, welcoming audiences into a powerful evening of political storytelling and collective joy.

“Amadoka” - directed by Dušan David Pařízek
Produced with Divadlo X10
German Premiere - 27 & 28 June

Co-produced with Theater der Welt 2026, this new production is based on the epic novel trilogy by Ukrainian writer Sofia Andruchowytsch. Through the stories of three women spanning a century, the performance reflects on Ukrainian history, memory and disappearance, inspired by the mythical lake Amadoka said to have once existed in Western Ukraine.

A Global Curatorial Process

The artistic direction of Theater der Welt 2026 is shared by TFA Alumni Ndèye Mané Touré (Senegal), Faye Kabali Kagwa (South Africa), Joshua Dalledonne (Canada), Rodrigo González Alvarado (Argentinia/Colombia), Aya Nabulsi (Jordan/Saudi Arabia), Nikos Mavrakis (Greece), Simon Abrahams (Australia), Srishti Ray (India), Yuan Zhang (China). Assisted by The Festival Academy, the curators have worked collaboratively to select and develop a programme that reflects a wide range of artistic practices and global contexts. Together they are curating around 30 productions from across all continents, presenting a rich spectrum of contemporary performing arts. 

Originally initiated by the German centre of the International Theatre Institute in the late 1970s, Theater der Welt takes place every three years in a different German city and showcases current developments in the performing arts worldwide. After editions in Hamburg (2017), Düsseldorf (2021) and Frankfurt/Offenbach (2023), the festival returns to the state of Saxony for the first time in 30 years.

Tickets Pre-Sale Open

More information and tickets for the first productions available via the website of Theater der Welt here.