Edition 25
From 23 May to 1 June 2025, the cities of Erlangen, Nuremberg, Fürth and Schwabach will host the 24th international figuren.theater.festival. As one of the foremost festivals of con-temporary puppet, visual and object theatre in Europe, it is also a meeting point for dance, performance art and new media. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Côte d’Ivoire, Czech Republic, El Salvador, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Cuba, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Ukraine – featuring 60 companies from 21 countries the international figuren.theater.festival is one of the largest and most diverse theatre festivals in Germany. Overcoming the boundaries between disciplines, bringing together different perspectives and cultural tastes, and presenting the entire spectrum of the performing arts, from puppet theatre to lecture performance, are unique features of this large-scale festival.
Regular visitors are familiar with the usual routine: shortly before tickets go on sale, a fold-out schedule with the festival dates is released, followed a few weeks later by a detailed programme booklet. This year, things are different. In the new leaflet you’ll find short descriptions of all shows, arranged alphabetically by company name. Detailed information is available here on our website, where you can sort by city or date, or filter performances by categories such as children’s theatre or foreign-language productions. There won’t be a printed programme booklet this time — partly due to budget considerations. Instead of spending on print materials and advertising, we chose to focus our resources on the programme itself. This allows us, once again, to present a wide range of productions — from classic children’s puppet theatre to lavish dance and visual performances, from politically charged works from Côte d’Ivoire to grand opera.
Numerous interventions will transform public spaces into stages, and the Young Forum will give theatre students a platform to showcase their own work and engage deeply with contemporary puppet theatre. The accompanying programme includes panel discussions, workshops, and exhibitions.