Letter of intent
to support the voices of Ukrainian artists
in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and across Europe
in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and across Europe
As Europeans, theatre-makers and humans, we are deeply shocked by the Russian military aggression that has led to war against a sovereign country and the Ukrainian people. We are outraged by the violation of international law and the brutal military actions that are harming so many people and destroying innocent lives. Our sympathy goes out to all the people of Ukraine, including our many friends and colleagues, who now find themselves surrounded by violence and death. These are people who have lost their homes, their work prospects, and the security of their futures within a few short weeks.
The European art community will not remain silent about this war, or complicit in Russia’s denial of it. In a 21st century Europe that stands for freedom, democracy and an open society, any act of war affects us directly as a community with deeply held shared values. We will not stand idly by as the values we hold dear are traduced by an act of aggressive, brutal invasion.
The support of the Ukrainian cultural scene, however, must not be limited to expressions of solidarity or party-political pronouncements, but must also include the preservation of the thousand-year history of Ukrainian art and culture.
We will do everything in our power to ensure that Ukrainian theatre artists have the opportunity to practice their art in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We will strive for the artistic integration of Ukraine into the European cultural community. In times when Ukrainian theatres are temporarily deprived of their voices – their stages and their audiences – we must offer them a platform for artistic expression on the stages and in the theatre buildings of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
With this letter of intent, we, the signing cultural organizations, express our intention to welcome, host and stage Ukrainian theatre artists in our venues, to make Ukrainian dramatic work visible to the European community. We therefore request that the Ukraine allows artists of all genders to make whatever cross-border travel is necessary to continue their work outside the Ukraine, work which we insist can be a powerful component of cultural diplomacy towards peace and dialogue in Europe.
Alliance Of International Production Houses: FFT Düsseldorf, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), HELLERAU - Europäisches Zentrum der Künste (Dresden), Kampnagel (Hamburg), Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt am Main), PACT Zollverein (Essen), tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf) / DE
Amelie Deuflhard, Stefan Hilterhaus, Annemie Vanackere, representatives
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe / DE
Dr. Ulrich Peters, artistic director
Sonja Walter, head dramaturge & international contacts
Berliner Ensemble, Berlin / DE
Oliver Reese, artistic director
Berliner Festspiele, Berlin / DE
Matthias Pees, designated artistic director
Consol Theater Gelsenkirchen / DE
Christian Freudig, Andrea Kramer, Georg Kentrup, board of directors
Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg / DE
Eva Maria Glitsch, Regina Rossi, Barbara Schmidt-Rohr, Özlem Winkler-Özkan, board of directors
das dokumentartheater berlin / DE
Marina Schubarth, artistic director
Deutsches Nationaltheater & Staatskapelle Weimar GmbH - Staatstheater Thüringen / DE
Hasko Weber, artistic director
Deutsches Theater Berlin / DE
Ulrich Khuon, artistic director
Birgit Lengers, international contacts & festival curator „Radar Ost”
Dramaturgische Gesellschaft, dg / DE
Harald Wolff, chairman of the board
Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus / DE
Wilfried Schulz, general artistic director
European Theatre Convention, ETC
Heidi Wiley, general manager
euro-scene Leipzig / DE
Christian Watty, festival director & general manager
FELD Theater für junges Publikum, Berlin / DE
Gabi dan Droste, artistic director
Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden / DE
Uwe Eric Laufenberg, general artstic director
Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch, Berlin / DE
Dr. Anna Luise Kiss, university rector
Institut für Sprachkunst, Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, AT
Gerhild Steinbruch, director
Junges Theater Bonn / DE
Moritz Seibert, artistic director
Kosmos Theater Vienna, AT
Veronika Steinböck, artistic director
KULA Compagnie – Transnational Theatre
Julie Paucker & Robert Schuster, board of directors
Landestheater Linz / AT
Hermann Schneider, general aritistic director
LICHTHOF Theater, Hamburg / DE
Matthias Schulze-Kraft, artistic director
Münchener Kammerspiele / DE
Barbara Mundel, aritistic director
Nationaltheater Mannheim / DE
Christian Holtzhauer, artistic director
ogalala kreuzberg, Berlin / DE
Christine Dissmann, artistic director
PEM Theater an den Elbbrücken, Hamburg / DE
Özlem Winkler-Özkan, managing director
Prater Digital Berlin / DE
Julian Kamphausen, artistic director
Rheinisches Landestheater Neuss / DE
Caroline Stolz, aritistic director
Ringlokschuppen Ruhr, Mülheim / DE
Matthias Frense, artistic director & general manager
Salzburger Festspiele / AT
Bettina Hering, artistic director drama
Schauspielhaus Graz / AT
Iris Laufenberg, artistic director
Schaubude Berlin / DE
Tim Sandweg, artistic director
Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz / DE
Thomas Ostermeier, artistic director
Schauspiel Köln / DE
Stefan Bachmann, artistic director
Staatstheater Braunschweig / DE
Dagmar Schlingmann, general artistic director
Staatstheater Darmstadt / DE
Karsten Wiegand, artistic director
Staatstheater Dresden / DE
Joachim Klement, artistic director
Thalia Theater Hamburg / DE
Joachim Lux, artistic director
Theater Aalen / DE
Tonio Kleinknecht, artistic director
Theater Dortmund / DE
Tobias Ehinger, Martin Lizan, Heribert Germeshausen, Xin Peng Wang, Gabriel Feltz, Julia Wissert, Andreas Gruhn, Marcus Lobbes, board of directors
Theater Freiburg / DE
Peter Carp, artistic director
Theater Gütersloh / DE
Christian Schäfer, artistic director
Theater Paderborn / DE
Katharina Kreuzhage, artistic director
Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck / AT
Christina Alexandridis, theatre director & chief dramaturg
TOBS, Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn / CHDieter Kaegi, general director
Wiener Festwochen / AT
Christophe Slagmuylder, artistic director
WIENER WORTSTAETTEN, Vienna / AT
Martina Knoll & Bernhard Studlar, director
The European art community will not remain silent about this war, or complicit in Russia’s denial of it. In a 21st century Europe that stands for freedom, democracy and an open society, any act of war affects us directly as a community with deeply held shared values. We will not stand idly by as the values we hold dear are traduced by an act of aggressive, brutal invasion.
The support of the Ukrainian cultural scene, however, must not be limited to expressions of solidarity or party-political pronouncements, but must also include the preservation of the thousand-year history of Ukrainian art and culture.
We will do everything in our power to ensure that Ukrainian theatre artists have the opportunity to practice their art in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. We will strive for the artistic integration of Ukraine into the European cultural community. In times when Ukrainian theatres are temporarily deprived of their voices – their stages and their audiences – we must offer them a platform for artistic expression on the stages and in the theatre buildings of Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
With this letter of intent, we, the signing cultural organizations, express our intention to welcome, host and stage Ukrainian theatre artists in our venues, to make Ukrainian dramatic work visible to the European community. We therefore request that the Ukraine allows artists of all genders to make whatever cross-border travel is necessary to continue their work outside the Ukraine, work which we insist can be a powerful component of cultural diplomacy towards peace and dialogue in Europe.
Alliance Of International Production Houses: FFT Düsseldorf, HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Berlin), HELLERAU - Europäisches Zentrum der Künste (Dresden), Kampnagel (Hamburg), Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (Frankfurt am Main), PACT Zollverein (Essen), tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf) / DE
Amelie Deuflhard, Stefan Hilterhaus, Annemie Vanackere, representatives
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe / DE
Dr. Ulrich Peters, artistic director
Sonja Walter, head dramaturge & international contacts
Berliner Ensemble, Berlin / DE
Oliver Reese, artistic director
Berliner Festspiele, Berlin / DE
Matthias Pees, designated artistic director
Consol Theater Gelsenkirchen / DE
Christian Freudig, Andrea Kramer, Georg Kentrup, board of directors
Dachverband freie darstellende Künste Hamburg / DE
Eva Maria Glitsch, Regina Rossi, Barbara Schmidt-Rohr, Özlem Winkler-Özkan, board of directors
das dokumentartheater berlin / DE
Marina Schubarth, artistic director
Deutsches Nationaltheater & Staatskapelle Weimar GmbH - Staatstheater Thüringen / DE
Hasko Weber, artistic director
Deutsches Theater Berlin / DE
Ulrich Khuon, artistic director
Birgit Lengers, international contacts & festival curator „Radar Ost”
Dramaturgische Gesellschaft, dg / DE
Harald Wolff, chairman of the board
Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus / DE
Wilfried Schulz, general artistic director
European Theatre Convention, ETC
Heidi Wiley, general manager
euro-scene Leipzig / DE
Christian Watty, festival director & general manager
FELD Theater für junges Publikum, Berlin / DE
Gabi dan Droste, artistic director
Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden / DE
Uwe Eric Laufenberg, general artstic director
Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch, Berlin / DE
Dr. Anna Luise Kiss, university rector
Institut für Sprachkunst, Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, AT
Gerhild Steinbruch, director
Junges Theater Bonn / DE
Moritz Seibert, artistic director
Kosmos Theater Vienna, AT
Veronika Steinböck, artistic director
KULA Compagnie – Transnational Theatre
Julie Paucker & Robert Schuster, board of directors
Landestheater Linz / AT
Hermann Schneider, general aritistic director
LICHTHOF Theater, Hamburg / DE
Matthias Schulze-Kraft, artistic director
Münchener Kammerspiele / DE
Barbara Mundel, aritistic director
Nationaltheater Mannheim / DE
Christian Holtzhauer, artistic director
ogalala kreuzberg, Berlin / DE
Christine Dissmann, artistic director
PEM Theater an den Elbbrücken, Hamburg / DE
Özlem Winkler-Özkan, managing director
Prater Digital Berlin / DE
Julian Kamphausen, artistic director
Rheinisches Landestheater Neuss / DE
Caroline Stolz, aritistic director
Ringlokschuppen Ruhr, Mülheim / DE
Matthias Frense, artistic director & general manager
Salzburger Festspiele / AT
Bettina Hering, artistic director drama
Schauspielhaus Graz / AT
Iris Laufenberg, artistic director
Schaubude Berlin / DE
Tim Sandweg, artistic director
Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz / DE
Thomas Ostermeier, artistic director
Schauspiel Köln / DE
Stefan Bachmann, artistic director
Staatstheater Braunschweig / DE
Dagmar Schlingmann, general artistic director
Staatstheater Darmstadt / DE
Karsten Wiegand, artistic director
Staatstheater Dresden / DE
Joachim Klement, artistic director
Thalia Theater Hamburg / DE
Joachim Lux, artistic director
Theater Aalen / DE
Tonio Kleinknecht, artistic director
Theater Dortmund / DE
Tobias Ehinger, Martin Lizan, Heribert Germeshausen, Xin Peng Wang, Gabriel Feltz, Julia Wissert, Andreas Gruhn, Marcus Lobbes, board of directors
Theater Freiburg / DE
Peter Carp, artistic director
Theater Gütersloh / DE
Christian Schäfer, artistic director
Theater Paderborn / DE
Katharina Kreuzhage, artistic director
Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck / AT
Christina Alexandridis, theatre director & chief dramaturg
TOBS, Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn / CHDieter Kaegi, general director
Wiener Festwochen / AT
Christophe Slagmuylder, artistic director
WIENER WORTSTAETTEN, Vienna / AT
Martina Knoll & Bernhard Studlar, director