Under the title “Spatial Processes and Spaces of Possibility,” the ZfBK, in cooperation with the initiative “Renovation Cultures and the Transformation of Theater Construction,” invites you to an evening featuring keynote presentations and a panel discussion. The focus will be on the theater buildings HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts, the Staatsoperette Dresden, and tjg. theater junge generation at Kraftwerk Mitte.

The renovation and expansion of theaters are coming into focus in light of the spatial and construction needs of existing theater architecture as well as the repurposing of existing industrial buildings. An interdisciplinary group of experts from the fields of performing arts, architecture, cultural policy, construction practice, and academia has taken this as an opportunity to embark on a journey to exemplary buildings and current projects in Germany to explore, discuss, and evaluate them. A concluding publication will provide new impetus for renovation cultures and the transformation of theater construction.

Following its launch at Kampnagel Internationale Kulturfabrik in Hamburg last fall, Dresden is the initiative’s second stop this spring. In April 2026, the focus will be on Dresden’s cultural venues: HELLERAU – European Centre of the Arts, Staatsoperette Dresden, and tjg. theater junge generation at Kraftwerk Mitte, as well as the Kulturpalast Dresden, alongside institutions such as the Dresden Philharmonic and the Dresden Municipal Libraries.  

Through keynote presentations and discussions, these venues will be examined in terms of their specific renovation cultures and transformations, considering their past spatial processes as well as their future needs and possibilities. Experiences from past theater uses will be discussed, while simultaneously raising questions about the (further) development of spatial and operational perspectives. Who shaped the renovation processes, and in what way? Were sustainable adaptations and building maintenance considered as a design paradigm? How can future spaces of possibility be developed? What can be learned from Dresden for the transformation of theater construction?

Programme

Welcome and Introduction

  • Juliane Zellner, International Theatre Institute, and Jonas Zipf, Kampnagel, Opening Remarks for the Initiative “Renovation Cultures and the Transformation of Theatre Construction”
  • Annette Menting, Introduction and Moderator, Theaterraum HTWK Leipzig

Keynote speeches and panel discussion with

André Schallenberg, 
Artistic Director of Theatre/Dance at HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts		Highlights of HELLERAU’s performance and spatial processes at the Festspielhaus 
Felicitas Loewe, 
Former Artistic Director of tjg. theater junge generation		Highlights of the development, performance, and spatial processes of theater junge generation as a dual-theater at Kraftwerk Mitte
Wolfgang Schaller, 
Former Artistic Director of Staatsoperette Dresden 		Highlights of the development, performance, and spatial processes of the Staatsoperette as a dual-theater at Kraftwerk Mitte 
Katrin Tauber, 
Director of the Department of Building Construction and Property Management, City of Dresden		Prospects for current and future physical and spatial developments 

Co-operations

Kampnagel International Cultural Factory (Hamburg), cultural expert Dr. Scheytt (Essen), DAM German Architecture Museum (Frankfurt am Main), International Theater Institute (Berlin), German Stage Association (Cologne), Schader Foundation (Darmstadt), Theaterraum HTWK Leipzig, Urban Design HCU Hamburg, theapro (Munich), and other experts.

Partners in Dresden: HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts, Staatsoperette Dresden, tjg. theater junge generation, and Peter Kulka Architektur at Kraftwerk Mitte, ZfBK Center for Building Culture Saxony.