Name: Hessian Theatre Days 2026
Start: 2026-06-17T00:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-06-27T00:00:00+00:00
Location: Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden

Hessian Theatre Days

About Hessian Theatre Days

The Hessian Theatre Days 2026 will take place from June 17th to 27th at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. 10 days of theatre highlights from all over Hesse, featuring current productions from Hessian city theatres as well as six works by students from the Hessian Theatre Academy. Three world premieres, three co-productions by the host, the MADE.Festival with three productions from the independent scene, €7,000 in prize money. Tickets €11–€82.

Dates 17 Jun — 27 Jun 2026

Venue Wiesbaden (06414)

Prices 11.00€ — 82.00€

Status Confirmed

Edition 2026

Hessian Theatre Days — edition 2026

Tickets →

Hessian Theatre Days June 17–27, 2026, hosted by the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. 10 festival days featuring Hessian city theatre productions, three world premieres (Marburg, Darmstadt, Kassel), three co-productions by the host (Futur4 by Rimini Protokoll, Così fan tutte, Leonce und Lena), six academy works, MADE.Festival as a "Festival within a Festival". €7,000 in prize money.

Ten festival days of theatre from all over Hesse, curated across the four stages of the Wiesbaden State Theatre. Opening with Rimini Protokoll's "Futur4", world premieres from Marburg, Darmstadt, and Kassel, an academy programme in the Studio, and three guest performances from the MADE.Festival.

Highlights Hessian Theatre Days 2026

10 festival days of Hessian theatre
3 world premieres from Marburg, Darmstadt, Kassel
Opening with Rimini Protokoll
6 academy works
MADE.Festival as a festival within a festival
€7,000 prize money

Programme Hessian Theatre Days 2026

Opening – Wednesday, June 17th, 2026

„Futur4“ by Rimini Protokoll (Co-production Hessisches Staatstheater)
Opening event with reception

World Premieres

„LEBENLIFEHAYAT!“ — Arad Dabiri (Hessisches Landestheater Marburg)
„Detransition, Baby“ — based on Torrey Peters (Staatstheater Darmstadt)
„vor die hunde“ — Nora Mansmann (Staatstheater Kassel)

Host's Co-Productions

„Futur4“ (Rimini Protokoll)
Mozart's „Così fan tutte“
Büchner's „Leonce und Lena“

Hessian Theatre Academy – Studio Stage

Six works by second-year directing students
Formally experimental productions

MADE.Festival – Festival within a Festival

Three productions from Frankfurt's independent scene
Performance art and biographical pieces

Accompanying Programme

Installation in the foyer
Discussion panels with the artists
Q&As after performances

Award Ceremony

Jury prize for emerging talent
Audience award (Citizens' jury)
Total prize money €7,000

Prices Hessian Theatre Days 2026

Tickets €11–€82 depending on the event. Some accompanying events are free. Advance sales start April 28th, 2026 via Tel. +49 611 132 325 or staatstheater-wiesbaden.de.

Practical information

Practical information — Hessian Theatre Days

Date 2026

June 17th to 27th, 2026 (10 festival days).

Venues

Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden: Großes Haus, Kleines Haus, Studio, and Wartburg. Christian-Zais-Straße 3, 65189 Wiesbaden.

Getting There

By train: Wiesbaden Hauptbahnhof (main station), then approx. 10 min. walk or take bus 16. By car: A66/A3, parking available at the theatre and in the city centre.

Tickets

Advance sales start April 28th, 2026. Tel. +49 611 132 325 or on staatstheater-wiesbaden.de. Range €11–€82 depending on the event. Some accompanying events are free.

Hesse's Travelling Theatre Showcase

The Hessian Theatre Days are the annual showcase of Hessian stages – a travelling festival hosted by a different Hessian city theatre each year. In 2026, the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden is the host: from June 17th to 27th, 10 days of theatre highlights will be presented across the venue's four stages (Großes Haus, Kleines Haus, Studio, Wartburg).

Three World Premieres

The 2026 edition gains a special profile through three world premieres from the Hessian theatre network:

„LEBENLIFEHAYAT!“ by Arad Dabiri (Hessisches Landestheater Marburg) – a play exploring the trilingual world of the Turkish-German-Arab diaspora.
„Detransition, Baby“ based on Torrey Peters' novel (Staatstheater Darmstadt) – a stage adaptation exploring trans/queer life choices.
„vor die hunde“ by Nora Mansmann (Staatstheater Kassel) – premiere from the Hessian North.

Host's Co-Productions

The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden opens the festival with the successful May Festival premiere „Futur4“ by Rimini Protokoll – a documentary-speculative exploration of possible futures beyond common sci-fi clichés. Also featured: Mozart's „Così fan tutte“ and Büchner's „Leonce und Lena“.

Six Works from the Hessian Theatre Academy

The Hessian Theatre Academy – Frankfurt's consortium of theatre universities – contributes six works by second-year directing students. These will be presented on the Studio stage and are often formally experimental.

MADE.Festival as a Festival within a Festival

A special feature in 2026: The MADE.Festival for the independent scene, based in Frankfurt, will be present as a "Festival within a Festival" – three evenings featuring performance art and biographical pieces from the independent theatre scene.

Prizes and Tickets

Three prizes totalling €7,000 will be awarded: a jury prize for emerging talent and an audience award (decided by a citizens' jury). Tickets €11–€82 per performance, some accompanying events are free. Ticket sales start April 28th, 2026.