FESTIVAL
FRIENDS

FESTIVALFRIENDS is a network of independent performing arts festivals in Germany with a total of 12 members. It brings together regional perspectives, promotes exchange among festival organizers, and connects them nationwide within the independent performing arts community. After all, festivals of the independent performing arts are important drivers of innovation: they increase the visibility of artists and provide impetus for the scene and cultural policy.

Current members of FESTIVALFRIENDS are

  • rodeo – München, BY
  • Osten – Bitterfeld-Wolfen, ST
  • 6 Tage Frei – Stuttgart, BW
  • Impulse Festival – Köln, Düsseldorf, Mülheim a. d. Ruhr, Bochum, NW
  • PHOENIX Theater Festival – Erfurt, TH
  • Landesverband der Freien Theater in Sachsen e.V. (Der Rahmen ist Programm) – Dresden, SN
  • IMPLANTIEREN – Frankfurt am Main, HE
  • Theaternatur Festival – Bennekenstein, Harz, ST
  • Landesverband freie darstellende Künste Berlin e.V. (Performing Arts Festival) – Berlin, BE
  • FREISTIL_FESTIVAL – Völklingen, SL
  • fringify – Independent Arts Festival Hamburg – Hamburg, HH
  • FAVORITEN Festival – Dortmund, NW

Not all festivals can currently take place. In such cases, their membership in the network will be maintained by the respective sponsoring associations in the spirit of sustainable networking.

FREISCHWIMMEN

FREISCHWIMMEN is an international exchange and production platform for young theater and performance groups and artists that has been supporting emerging artists on the cusp of turning professional since its founding in 2004. What began as a touring festival has evolved into a platform that facilitates co-productions, residencies, labs, and workshops through a network of eight partner venues in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Members of FREISCHWIMMEN are

  • HochX Theater und Live Art – Munich
  • brut – Vienna
  • FFT – Düsseldorf
  • Theater Rampe – Stuttgart
  • Gessnerallee – Zurich
  • LOFFT – DAS THEATER – Leipzig
  • Schwankhalle – Bremen
  • Sophiensaele – Berlin

With a major structural grant set to expire at the end of 2023, FREISCHWIMMEN is facing a major transformation, but remains committed to its core mission.

ZIRKA

ZIRKA is dedicated to revitalizing, redesigning, and bringing new life to the former Hall 23, transforming it into a vibrant hub for culture and creative work. Since January 2022, it has offered diverse workspaces to more than 50 individuals, collectives, labels, and companies from fields such as art, music, fashion, design, crafts, journalism, film, and events, as well as additional spaces for productions, workshops, and events.

The Dance and Theatre Offices Munich

Tanzbüro München and Theaterbüro München serve as local advisory offices for the city’s independent performing artists, providing information, networking opportunities, and guidance on all aspects of artistic production. As part of Rodeo 2024, they are hosting a workshop on sustainable collaboration and partnering in the Schau mer mal series.

Netzwerk freie Szene München e.V.

Founded in 2017, the Netzwerk advocates for Munich’s independent performing artists, fostering cooperation among cultural professionals, enhancing regional and national networking, and disseminating information about the community’s activities. Its members include individual artists, collectives, groups, and venues from all fields of the performing arts. They produce dance, theater, performances for all ages and backgrounds. 

GERMAN THEATRE MUSEUM

The German Theater Museum serves as a repository for the ephemeral art of theater. Centrally located in the arcades of Munich’s Hofgarten, it collects, preserves, and displays theatrical heritage, bringing theater history to life as part of cultural history. Through its rotating special exhibitions and extensive collection, the museum invites visitors to explore theater history within its regional, national, and international context.

CitySOUNDSCAPES

CitySoundscapes is a transdisciplinary research project that investigates the connections between biodiversity, urban soundscapes, and human well-being. In collaboration with residents, the project explores the acoustic quality of green spaces in various Munich neighborhoods through activities such as audio walks, workshops, and artistic-scientific interventions. Participants include researchers from the Technical University of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and the Technical University of Berlin, as well as the Department of Climate and Environmental Protection of the City of Munich, BUND Naturschutz, and Green City e.V.

Media Partners

Thanks to

Kassandra Wedel, Carolin Jüngst, Sabine Busch-Frank, Daniela Rippl, Antje Otto, Katrin Griep, as well as all supporters of rodeo. Without their initiative, support, impulses, critique, trust, help and willingness to cooperate, the festival would not have been possible.