Festival profile

euro-scene Leipzig takes place every year at the beginning of November and is dedicated to the state of our society over six days in twelve to 14 international dance and theatre productions from different perspectives, with a focus on distinctive signature pieces. The programme focuses on challenging contemporary theatre and innovative dance: courageous, time-diagnostic pieces, politically relevant performances and works that touch the senses and encourage dialogue. The shows are complemented by talks, discourse formats, workshops, audience development and film screenings.

euro-scene Leipzig presents a diverse range of performances from well-known and important artists to new discoveries from the younger artist generation. The festival is thus aimed at a "broad" audience of different age groups and with different artistic preferences.

The festival's programme also aims to realise in-house and co-productions as well as German premieres and world premieres. These productions are realised in cooperation with partners in Leipzig and throughout Europe and increase the international appeal of the festival.

euro-scene Leipzig has been an integral part of Leipzig's cultural life for over 30 years and is equally anchored in the Free State of Saxony and beyond. It enjoys great public interest and has become an integral part of the autumn festival calendar in Leipzig. The euro-scene Leipzig program takes place in various venues. These include the stages of Schauspiel Leipzig, Oper Leipzig, Theater der Jungen Welt, Schaubühne Lindenfels, LOFFT – DAS THEATER and Westflügel Leipzig. In addition, there are scenic projects that leave the stage space and incorporate the urban space or rediscover unusual places such as museums.

Christian Watty is the artistic and managing director of the festival. euro-scene Leipzig is organised by the association "euro-scene Leipzig e. V.".

Program selection

In principle, there is no application procedure for artists who would like to show their work at the festival. However, companies are welcome to send their information material by e-mail to info@euro-scene.de.

Regionally and globally networked

The regional, national and international contacts of euro-scene Leipzig are multi-layered. Through its extensive networks, the festival also specifically promotes international cooperation with Leipzig and Saxon artists in the field of performing arts and acts as an ambassador for companies from the region.

The festival has been a member of the ITI (International Theatre Institute, based in Paris) - German Centre of the International Theatre Institute, Berlin, since 1994 and its director Christian Watty has been a member of the DG (Dramaturgische Gesellschaft) since 2021.

Since 2002, euro-scene Leipzig has been one of the twelve current co-organisers of the German Dance Platform (with institutions in Berlin, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart). The most important festival for contemporary dance in Germany is also the international "showcase" for the German dance scene and takes place every two years in different German cities.

The Dance Platform Germany 2002 took place from 6 to 10 February 2002 under the project management of Ann-Elisabeth Wolff and co-direction of Michael Freundt in Leipzig and thus for the first time in an East German federal state. Over 350 organisers and journalists from all over the world as well as 35 representatives of Goethe Institutes experienced 24 choreographies in around 45 performances.

The European Centre for the Arts - HELLERAU will host the next Dance Platform Germany in March 2026.

Sustainability

The euro-scene Leipzig team is placing a new focus on the important topics of social, ecological and economic sustainability, both in the selection of content for guest performances, in-house and co-productions as well as in everyday working life. The aim is to contribute to the implementation of the United Nations' global Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals on the way to a fairer and more humane world.

Financing

The festival is funded by the City of Leipzig and the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism. In addition, there is guest performance-related support from foundations and cultural state representations and embassies.

Cultural partners are Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and ARTE.

Festivals 1991–2020

euro-scene Leipzig was founded in 1991 by Matthias Renner. The studied theatre scholar and director, later a research assistant at the GDR Theatre Association, conceived euro-scene Leipzig in 1990 and founded the supporting association. From 1991 until his early death in 1993 at the age of just 41, he was managing and artistic director of the first three editions of the festival. From 1993, his deputy Ann-Elisabeth Wolff took over as director until 2020. After studying musicology, she initially worked as an editor and journalist and was part of the festival's management team from the very beginning. Under her direction, euro-scene Leipzig developed into one of the most important theatre and dance festivals in Germany and became a meeting point for current European stage events.

The archive of euro-scene Leipzig can be found here.