Mon, 16 Nov – Fri, 20 Nov 2026 | all day, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. | Various locations
For school groups from year 8 | Online registration, free of charge

These are politically charged times. The questions are becoming ever more pressing. How do we want to live together? What can we achieve? What attitudes are needed? And what can we learn from one another?
For one week, Oper and Schauspiel Köln will become an open laboratory for political participation, exchange and collective action. POWER UP! invites school classes, families and anyone interested to experience democracy together, engage in conversation and take action themselves.
Around Offenbachplatz, a diverse programme awaits you, featuring performances, talks, readings, exhibitions, participatory art events, community music, simulation games and democracy workshops. Together with numerous partners from Cologne's civil society, we are creating these spaces. Get involved. Have your say. Shape the future. Let's power up!

More information and registration: https://www.oper.koeln/produktion/power-demokratie-festival

Twice a year, we invite you to exchange experiences as colleagues: proposing new ideas, introducing current projects, and discussing the challenges of practical theatre work. These events include a preview of the premieres in the next six months, a visit to a performance, and a look behind the scenes.

MONEYLAND rehearsal visit will follow after the Meet & Greet.

Register here: theaterstadtschule@schauspiel.koeln

• 30.9. from 17.30 to 20.30
• 7.10. from 17.30 to 20.30
• 14.10. from 17.30 to 20.30
• 4.11. from 17.30 to 20.30

Democracy and Theatre our series of advanced training workshops that returns every year for teachers and others with an interest in theatre and education who are looking for new inspiration for their own theatre work. Democracy is sustained by people taking an active part in it, thinking about it and shaping it. This year we examine the question of how democratic values can not only be communicated but experienced through theatre. We use documentary and biographical methods to combine theatre with civic education. The course content can be directly applied to classroom teaching. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to see what they have learned in practice through a visit to a real-world setting.

Dates and tickets

• 1.10. at 11.00
• 1.10. at 18.00

Dates and tickets

• 13.10.

Are you curious about the theatre but sometimes don’t know exactly what you want to see? Would you like to be part of a community with whom you can talk about what you’ve just experienced? The GUCKKLUB meets once a month and is open to everyone aged 16 and over: you can meet new people and deepen your understanding of theatre – and finish off the evening with a lively discussion. 

Register here: theaterstadtschule@schauspiel.koeln

More information on DIE DEUTSCHE BAHN AG

Dates and Tickets

More information on #MOTHERFUCKINGHOOD

Tue, 3 Nov – Tue, 1 Dec 2026 | 7–9 p.m. each | Glockengasse
Six-part participatory series in cooperation with Oper Köln

In our music theater lab, opera and drama come together to invite you to actively participate in theater and make music. Inspired by HOFFMANNS ERZÄHLUNGEN (Oper Köln) and HUNDERT (Schauspiel Köln), our five-part workshop series and theater visits – led by professional instructors – will allow you to gain your own stage experience, try out new things, and explore your creativity – all without the stress of a full-scale production. Drawing on the unifying themes of life experience, turning points, and aging, we'll craft both fictional and true biographies and weave our voices together into a unified sound. For everyone in our urban community. Directed by: Anna Mangold and David Vogel

Workshop days: 3, 10, 17, 24 November and 1 December 2026, 7–9 p.m. each
Performance visit HOFFMANNS ERZÄHLUNGEN: 10 December 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Optional performance visit HUNDERT: 12 November 2026, 8 p.m.

Participation and the ticket price (€40–80) include all five workshop days as well as the opera performance. The theater visit to HUNDERT is optional and can be booked in consultation with the course instructors. Questions: theaterpaedagogik@buehnen.koeln

Bookable only via Oper Köln: https://www.oper.koeln/produktion/musiktheaterlabor

Tue, 17 Nov 2026 | 5:30–8:30 p.m. | Meeting point: Foyer
Open training for teachers and educators

In this open professional development workshop for teachers, educators, and anyone interested, we'll come together to experiment and discuss your questions: Current productions, artistic forms, and theater education strategies serve as a starting point for learning together. In this session, we'll explore democratic and participatory processes in theater work.

The workshop lasts three hours and concludes with a collection of resources for immediate use in the classroom. Facilitators: Judith Niggehoff and Nina Mackenthun