WELT/BÜHNE
The platform for international drama
Since 2015, the WELT/BÜHNE has been an integral part of the Residenztheater as a dynamic platform for international drama. In residencies lasting several months, international authors develop new texts that act as an indispensable driving force for politically aware, lively theatre that is open to all generations. The authors take us into new worlds with their stories, they sketch the world situation poetically. It is often the authors themselves who have a keen sense for tectonic shifts in society, recognise socio-political developments at a very early stage and incorporate them into their literary works. In the Welt/Bühne Salons, the authors, together with the Residenztheater ensemble, present the results of the intensive work phase in Munich in readings and discussions.
In many cultures, the dramatic text is the starting point for an evening of theatre. It sets the tone, opens up new perspectives and invents the language in which the characters communicate on stage and with the audience. The play is what makes theatre evenings original - especially in times when texts can supposedly be produced by automated artificial intelligence algorithms. Due to the language involved, conveying plays to another theatre landscape is a complex process and requires a great deal of care and support. The annual WELT/BÜHNE Festival opens up the artistic transfer of texts to the stage in productions and enables a personal exchange between the international artists, the audience and the people at the Residenztheater in the festival context.
The WELT/BÜHNE platform was conceived to promote the creation of new texts for the stage and to make authors* known beyond national and linguistic borders.
«WELT/BÜHNE» is organised in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut and with the support of the Friends* of the Residenztheater.
WELT/BÜHNE - The authors
Since 2019, WELT/BÜHNE has invited Beniamin M. Bukowski from Poland, Alfredo Staffolani from Argentina, Satoko Ichihara from Japan, Birutė Kapustinskaitė from Lithuania, Asiimwe Deborah Kawe from Uganda, Noa Lazar-Keinan from Israel, Odile Gakire Katese from Rwanda, Natalia Blok and Oleksandr Seredin from Ukraine, Deepika Arwind from India, Pooyan Bagherzadeh from Iran and Koleka Putuma from South Africa to come to Munich for writing residencies.
In the 2024/2025 season, Hong-Do Lee from South Korea and Carla Zúñiga Morales from Santiago de Chile have been invited to take up writing residencies.
The residencies provided authors with three important resources in the form of time, space and financial support. During the residencies, which lasts several months, they produced texts and plays that are subsequently translated into German.
WELT/BÜHNE – The Salons
Each author is introduced to the audience during their residency. In the WELT/BÜHNE Salon, actors of the Residenztheater ensemble read the guests' new texts - followed by a discussion to get to know the authors and ask questions: What role does theatre play in their home countries? What are the working conditions like? What is the fascination for theatre? But also: How do they view us and the German-speaking theatre landscape?
WELT/BÜHNE - THE FESTIVAL 2024
The second edition of «WELT/BÜHNE - The Festival» took place in June 2024: For the first time, two in-house productions by WELT/BÜHNE authors from Iran and Ukraine were premiered, international guest performances were shown, the authors of the upcoming residencies were presented in readings and all WELT/BÜHNE authors were brought together on stage and in conversation on one evening.
WELT/BÜHNE – The Festival 2023
The first edition of «WELT/BÜHNE - The Festival» took place in June 2023: Over 30 authors from all over the world were presented. Two guest performances from Israel and Rwanda were shown, further texts were presented in staged readings and controversial topics relating to contemporary drama were discussed. There were also closed events such as an encounter with translators.