Message from Leipzig

Leipzig, 28.02.2008

Ann-Elisabeth Wolff is to be awarded the 2008 Caroline-Neuber-prize of the city of Leipzig

Ann-Elisabeth Wolff, euro-scene Leipzig festival director, is to be awarded the 2008 Caroline-Neuber-prize. Since 1998, the city of Leipzig has awarded the prize every two years, in order to honour female theatre creators from the German-speaking world, whose outstanding artistic achievements have set new standards.

The reasons from the jury state: »She has succeeded not only in repeatedly securing the required financing and thereby creating an impressive continuity but also in using well thought out concepts to give the euro-scene Leipzig, the first significant festival for contemporary theatre in one of the new federal states, a profile of its own … Driven by an inquisitiveness that is constantly alert, untiring on trips looking for new, impressive artistic forms of expression, Ann-Elisabeth Wolff has made the euro-scene a festival that is increasingly gaining international attention and drawing an interested public to Leipzig. As such, she is a worthy successor to Caroline Neuber.«

The prize is awarded in memory of German actress and theatre principal Friederike Caroline Neuber (1697-1760). The »Neuberin«, as she was also called, worked in close conjunction with Johann Christoph Gottsched and, in 1727, was awarded the Saxon charter to run a permanent theatre. In an allegorical prelude on the open stage in Leipzig in 1737, she banned the tomfool of the dramatics.

Previous laureates were actress Jutta Hoffmann (1998), actress Inge Keller (2000), director Konstanze Lauterbach (2002), the longstanding manager of the Berlin Hebbel-Theater Nele Hertling (2004) and director Karin Henkel (2006).

The prize-giving will take place on the birthday of Caroline Neuber, on Sunday 9th March 2008 at 11:30 a.m., in the context of a matinee in the Theater hinterm Eisernen (Schauspielhaus). Federal minister for transport, building and city planning Wolfgang Tiefensee and theatre scholar and longstanding euro-scene Leipzig employee Michael Freundt will appear as laudators. The two artists Jonathan Burrows & Matteo Fargion, London, – darlings of the public of the euro-scene Leipzig 2007 – will once again be performing their piece »Both sitting duet«. Any interested spectators are warmly invited to attend.

Public award ceremony
Sunday, 9th March 2008 / 11:30 a.m. / Theater hinterm Eisernen (Schauspielhaus)

Curriculum vitae, portrait photos of Ann-Elisabeth Wolff and press report of the city of Leipzig regarding the prize-giving under www.euro-scene.de/press

The next euro-scene Leipzig will be held from 4th to 9th November 2008.

The Newsletter #01-2008 of the euro-scene Leipzig will be published at the end of June.

Content and editing: Ann-Elisabeth Wolff / Nadine Brockmann
English translation: Susanne Saalfeld
Photographers: Martin Klindworth, Leipzig / Rolf Arnold, Leipzig / Herman Sorgeloos, Brüssel
Graphic design: Dirk Baierlipp – fertigungsbureau.de/sign
Editorial deadline: 27.02.2008

Presenter: Sächsischer Verein zur Förderung des kulturellen Austauschs nationaler und internationaler Tanz- und Theatergruppen e.V.

euro-scene Leipzig, Gottschedstraße 16, D-04109 Leipzig,
phone +49 (0)341-980 02 84 // fax +49 (0)341-980 48 60
info@euro-scene.de // www.euro-scene.de