Theater award for stages in Berlin, Leipzig and Jena

Stages in Berlin, Jena and Leipzig are among the winners of this year's Federal Theater Prize. The main prize, worth 200,000 euros, goes to Ballhaus Naunynstraße in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth (Green Party) announced in a statement Wednesday. Three with in each case 100,000 euro endowed honors receive the theater house Jena, the Chamäleon theater Berlin and the Leipziger theater Lofft.

With the price the Federal Government wants to honor small and middle theaters in Germany approximately for an outstanding artistic variety. Roth described the prize winners as pioneers in the theater and cultural landscape: "At the award-winning houses, inclusive, diversely positioned and power-critical work is possible."

The Ballhaus Naunynstraße offers people an "important space for reflection on postcolonial structures" in art and everyday life, the jury said, explaining its choice. "Here postmigrant voices not only became loudly audible for the first time, here the concept of postmigrant theater as such was invented and coined."

A total of 81 theaters had applied for this year's Theaterpreis des Bundes, according to the information provided. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 11 in Berlin.