Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm

Theatre and the Crisis of Democracy

Western-style democracy is in crisis: migration, global warming and the economic consolidation of power go hand in hand with a devaluation of former stakeholders and institutions, such as the nation and its parliament. In many places, the answer is a return to forms and structures of authoritarian rule. Against this background, the lecture series “Frankfurter Positionen 2021” invites artists and academics from disciplines dealing with theatre and performance to reflect on the relationship between theatre and democracy. How do new forms of theatre, choreography and forms of performance that transcend genres and styles react to this crisis? How does this crisis affect their formats, modes of organisation and content?

The Argentine author and (film) director Gerardo Naumann is perhaps best known in German-speaking countries thanks to his piece “Die Fabrik”, which was presented at the “Ciudades parallelas” festival curated by Stefan Kaegi and Lola Arias. Under the motto “Theatre is the art of symbiosis”, he is currently developing various symbiotic forms with students from the Institute for Theatre, Film and Media Studies at the University of Frankfurt to accompany the world premieres being created as part of Frankfurter Positionen 2021.