PULS & PEILUNG – Festival of Berlin Puppetry Students
Four days of contemporary puppetry by HfS Ernst Busch students at Schaubude
About PULS & PEILUNG
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A New Festival in Prenzlauer Berg
For decades, Schaubude Berlin on Greifswalder Straße in the Pankow district has been Berlin's home for puppet theatre, object theatre, and puppetry. In 2026, PULS & PEILUNG launches a new festival format, consolidating Schaubude's close ties to the Ernst Busch University of Performing Arts into a compact festival week for the first time: students and graduates of the Contemporary Puppetry program will present their work over four days.
What to See
The Contemporary Puppetry program at HfS Ernst Busch is one of the most renowned of its kind in Europe. Students work with marionettes, hand puppets, rod puppets, shadow play, object theatre, and material performance—often using hybrid forms that combine puppetry with video art, live music, or physical theatre. PULS & PEILUNG showcases the full spectrum: diploma premieres (final pieces by entire year groups), preliminary works and work-in-progress presentations, international co-productions, and the experimental format of puppet karaoke.
Festival Stages
Over four days, performances, lecture-performances, workshops, and discussion formats will take place. More than twenty works are announced, including pieces for adults and children. The training itself will also be addressed—how is contemporary puppetry taught at a state university? What international connections shape the program? PULS & PEILUNG positions itself as a discourse festival, not just a showcase.
The HfS Ernst Busch
Founded in 1951, HfS Ernst Busch is, alongside Munich (Otto Falckenberg School) and Hamburg, one of Germany's most important state drama schools. The Contemporary Puppetry program was established in 1983—one of the first university-level puppetry programs in Germany. Schaubude Berlin has been a partner and venue for student productions for years.
PULS & PEILUNG — edition 2026
PULS & PEILUNG brings together student works in a festival framework for the first time. Over four days, twenty or more works will be shown—diploma pieces, preliminary works, international co-productions. Schaubude will simultaneously use all its performance spaces on Greifswalder Straße: the Great Hall, the Cabinet, the Courtyard Stage, and the Studio.
Advance ticket sales will open about a month before the festival begins at schaubude.berlin. A detailed program and accompanying events (artist talks, lectures) will be published in April.
Programme PULS & PEILUNG 2026
The festival program has already been announced. Selection of performances per day:
- Thursday, May 14 — Opening with three productions: including Holly Wood and Karaluchy/Cockroaches
- Friday, May 15 — Several creations and workshop performances, focusing on hybrid forms of object theatre, material, and physical theatre
- Saturday, May 16 — Eight performances, from children's plays (Ein Bauch voller Mut) to experimental adult pieces
- Sunday, May 17 — Four final productions, including La Grinta as an international co-production
The performance program will be accompanied by:
- Diploma Premieres: Final works by students in the Contemporary Puppetry program
- Work-in-Progress Presentations: Ongoing works with audience discussions
- Puppet Karaoke: An experimental crossover format late in the evening
- International Guest Performances: Including La Grinta as a co-production
Daily schedules and performance times will be published by April 15 on schaubude.berlin/de/news/puls-peilung/ and on hfs-berlin.de.
Highlights PULS & PEILUNG 2026
- Premiere festival at Schaubude Berlin
- Four days, all venues on Greifswalder Straße utilized
- Diploma premieres by HfS students of Contemporary Puppetry
- International co-productions (including La Grinta)
- Puppet Karaoke as an experimental format
Prices PULS & PEILUNG 2026
Single tickets and festival passes are planned. Specific prices will be published with the detailed program in April 2026. Tickets available via schaubude.berlin.
Practical information — PULS & PEILUNG
Getting There
Tram M4 Greifswalder Straße / Husemannstraße. S-Bahn S8, S41, S42 Greifswalder Straße. District Prenzlauer Berg, Borough Pankow.
Tickets
Advance sales open from mid-April 2026 on the Schaubude website. Single tickets and festival passes are planned.
Tip
Many pieces last under an hour—making it easy to catch two or three shows in one evening.
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Travel to this festival
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Where it takes place PULS & PEILUNG
Schaubude Berlin
Greifswalder Straße 81–84, 10405 Berlin