From the Capital of Culture year to a major theater festival: For 18 days, Chemnitz is now the venue for the “Theater der Welt” festival. At the opening on Thursday, the youngest attendees took center stage. At the Hartmannfabrik, paper is crumpled, torn, and glued back together to form animals, costumes, and imaginative plants. “Paper Planet” is the name of the interactive project by Australia’s Polyglot Theatre, which will create a forest of paper and cardboard over the course of several days. It’s meant to grow day by day. More than 30 international theater productions will be presented in the city through July 5: from the pop opera “Nkoli: A Fierce & Fabulous Life” about anti-apartheid activist Simon Nkoli to the Czech production “Amadoka,” which adapts a trilogy of novels spanning a century of Ukrainian history. Puppet theater, performances, and a production in which audience members immerse themselves in an artificial world using VR headsets are also on the program. “The festival has tremendous appeal,” says Artistic Director Christoph Dittrich—who is also the General Director of the host theater in Chemnitz. In addition to strong demand from the city and the region itself, there have been a great many inquiries and bookings from outside the region. In the coming days, people from many countries will make the city colorful and vibrant, Dittrich emphasized, speaking of a “metropolitan vibe” for Chemnitz. The official opening was scheduled for the evening at the opera house. According to reports, the German premiere of “Split Tooth: Saputjiji” by singer and author Tanya Tagaq combines themes from her autobiographical novel with compositions from her latest album. The piece also reflects the festival’s focus on Indigenous voices and perspectives. “Theater der Welt” is considered one of the most important international theater festivals in Germany. It takes place every three years. Most recently, Frankfurt am Main and Offenbach hosted the festival in 2023. Copyright 2026, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reservedArtistic Director: Festival Creates a “Metropolitan Vibe”
