Global themes, individual forms, many perspectives. THEATER DER WELT Chemnitz 2026
From 18 June to 5 July 2026, 33 productions from every continent will be presented at the THEATER DER WELT festival in Chemnitz, marking their German debut. From puppet theatre from Indonesia to drama from the Czech Republic, a participatory installation from Australia, an XR performance from Taipei, a pop opera from South Africa and musical theatre from India, the programme showcases the vast diversity of contemporary international performing arts.
For the first time in the festival’s history, a nine-member international team of curators is sharing the artistic direction of Theater der Welt. The programme thus brings together works created under very different cultural and political conditions in various regions of the world – yet which address common global themes. Questions of identity, origin, power relations and visibility run through many of the productions. Indigenous perspectives and the relationship between humans and nature are recurring themes in the performances. Political realities and their individual impacts on the respective societies form another thematic thread running through the programme. Current political conflicts are also addressed. Some artists explore various forms of coexistence in their work. And formats in which the audience becomes part of the performance are not neglected either.
Programme & Tickets: theaterderwelt.de
ITI x TDW
Whilst THEATER DER WELT moves from city to city every three years, the ITI programme acts as a link between the individual editions and offers insights into the core themes of the International Theatre Institute. As part of the programme of THEATER DER WELT in Chemnitz the ITI will present a new edition of the ITI Academy, an exhibition on the THEATER DER WELT archive, the ITI Prize 2026 winner as well as its annual conference.
>> ITI programme at THEATER DER WELT
Image credit: © Nasser Hashemi