Final Press Release Theater Der Welt

Overwhelming public response to THEATER DER WELT in Chemnitz 
Festival achieved an attendance rate of over 90 per cent across all events 

With almost 17.000 visitors and an attendance rate of 91,8 percent, the THEATER DER WELT festival comes to a close this weekend. The fact that most performances were sold out is a testament to the festival’s enormous popularity with audiences. “Even in the run-up to the event, there was great interest and curiosity about the programme, and this was fully confirmed over the three weeks of the festival,” says Stefan Schmidtke, one of the three festival directors. “For me, this came as no surprise, as Chemnitz had already shown itself to be a cosmopolitan city during its time as European Capital of Culture 2025. The fact that, with funding from the city, the state and the federal government, we were able to bring the festival to Chemnitz straight afterwards was a wise and far-sighted decision in terms of cultural policy, one that ensures the positive impact of the Capital of Culture year will continue to resonate for a long time to come.” Also thanks to extensive media coverage reaching as far as Australia and a reach of millions via social media channels – bolstered by the participating artists from Indonesia, Iran, the Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Japan, France, South Africa, Colombia and many other countries – Chemnitz remains in the international spotlight.

Many people attended several events during the three weeks of the festival. Around a third of the audience travelled came from outside Chemnitz, including numerous national and international theatre professionals. The festival’s international programme was complemented by introductions and post-performance discussions with the artists after all performances. The huge public interest in the public discussions with artists from all over the world has shown that theatre is an indispensable space for encounter and exchange. 

“For three weeks, the heart of the international theatre world beat in Chemnitz. Squares, stages and streets became places of encounter, wonder and shared experiences. People from different backgrounds engaged in conversation, celebrated the diversity of the arts and rediscovered the city,” says festival director Christoph Dittrich. The festival’s programme was developed through a collective curatorial process that is unique to date: nine international curators jointly invited a total of 33 productions from all over the world to Chemnitz. This enabled them to present an enormous variety of different theatre forms and aesthetics.

“This unique curatorial experience reaches far beyond this festival, says Inge Ceustermans, one of the Festival Directors. “It is transforming all of us - artists, curators, audiences and partners. The profound insights and inspiration we’ve gathered will shape our personal growth and guide both our individual and collective next steps. It results in next collaborations, ideas and ways of working together beyond our borders and identities. While division and polarization and outright racism become more outspoken by the day, this collaboration is a strong sign of hope for our common humanity.” In total, three world premieres, 11 European premieres and 18 German premieres were staged. The extensive free music programme featured more than 200 events in total, involving over 400 artists at various venues. Hall 5 provided a unique and exclusive venue on the Spinnbau site for the duration of the festival; it is expected to return to industrial use after the festival. The festival centre in the Spinnbau garden was very well received by visitors and has sparked ideas for future use, for example for smaller summer theatre formats.

“The success of the THEATER DER WELT festival fills us with great gratitude and also with confidence,” says Christoph Dittrich, Artistic Director of Theater Chemnitz, which hosted the 17th edition of the THEATER DER WELT festival. “It is the result of the commitment of many artists, staff members, partners, sponsors, volunteers and a curious, open-minded audience. Together, they have demonstrated the potential that lies within Chemnitz. I see these experiences as both a mandate and an encouragement: to continue along the path we have chosen, to further strengthen the cultural infrastructure and also to tackle the economic and structural challenges with courage, creativity and shared responsibility – for the good of the city and its people.’ THEATER DER WELT is a festival helt by the German Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) and has been hosted by a different German city every three years since 1981. Commenting on the current edition in Chemnitz, ITI President Yvonne Büdenhölzer said: “Theater der Welt has impressively demonstrated in Chemnitz that every edition of the festival writes its own unique story – shaped by the city, its people and the artistic perspectives that come together here. The international curatorial collaboration with nine curators has highlighted the diversity of curatorial practice and demonstrated just how enriching a multitude of voices and dialogue are for the performing arts. It was a celebration with and for Chemnitz.”