BEHIND THE SCENES festival favoriten

(UN)LEARNING FOR POSSIBLE FUTURES THERE CAN BE NO RETURN TO NORMAL, BECAUSE NORMAL WAS THE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE

FAVORITEN – the theater, dance and performance festival of the independent scene in North Rhine-Westphalia – has been held every two years in Dortmund since 1985. It is one of the oldest festivals of the independent performing arts in Germany and is aimed equally at the people of the city and region as well as at a nationwide and international (professional) audience. For the 2022 and 2024 editions of the festival, Anne Mahlow, Margo Zālīte and Sina-Marie Schneller will be the artistic directors of FAVORITEN for the first time.

Under the motto (Un)Learning for possible futures, Anne Mahlow, Margo Zālīte and Sina-Marie Schneller will address the challenges of the present and the future on an artistic and discursive level for the FAVORITEN Festival. They place the joint, continuous process of learning and growing together between genders, generations, classes and borders at the center of the festival. They want to grow together with Dortmund and the city society and at the same time put out feelers on a global level via the digital space and in doing so also learn with and from international partners.

Anne Mahlow, Margo Zālīte and Sina-Marie Schneller pursue a collective way of working. What they have in common is an excellent knowledge of the independent scene in North Rhine-Westphalia, a reflection on the perspectives of this very scene, and a great interest in shaping cultural policy and in regional, national, and international cooperation. The previous festival work of all three is characterized by a broad perspective on a wide variety of artistic genres.

This year, the artistic direction of FAVORITEN has been advertised directly for two editions. The longer-term perspective should enable a more sustainable collaboration with artists, partners and networks and support an even stronger anchoring of the festival in the city.

The first took place in Sptember 2022 and the next festival edition will take place from September 5-15, 2024 in Dortmund and digitally.

JURYwork

Amidst a parade of choo-choo trains, there emerged a galaxy of captivating theatre shows! Imagine a world where bowing isn't just a gym workout, but an art form. Brace yourself for a whirlwind tour of theatrical wonders from the independent scene and performative geniuses. Get ready to unleash your inner applause-o-saurus!

I've practically become a human train-pass! Being a festival's artistic director is like signing up for Train Life 101. Here's a sneak peek into my train-bound adventures while curating extraordinary festival FAVORITEN, the oldest independent theatre festival in Germany. All aboard the express of artistic excitement!

Festival FAVORITEN

artistic directing
since Mai 2021

FAVORITEN – the theater, dance and performance festival of the independent scene in North Rhine-Westphalia – has been held every two years in Dortmund since 1985. It is one of the oldest festivals of the independent performing arts in Germany and is aimed equally at the people of the city and region as well as at a nationwide and international (professional) audience. For the 2022 and 2024 editions of the festival, Anne Mahlow, Margo Zālīte and Sina-Marie Schneller will be the artistic directors of FAVORITEN for the first time.

The next festival edition will take place from September 15-25, 2022 in Dortmund and digitally.

RUHRTRIENNALE

assistant to the artistic director Stefanie Carp

Anselm Reyle

Ariana Mnouchkine

Evelīna Deičmane

Published in Magazine

Meridith Monk

Interview in Rīgas Laiks

Michael Nyman

Rīgas Laiks

Monica Bonvicini

Selected essays

Nekas nepāriet / Mūzikas saule
Vēstule no Berlīnes / Rīgas laiks
Eiropas citādais ES / Rīgas laiks
Komentārs / Rīgas laiks
The exotic other / Rīgas laiks