Performing Arts Festival Berlin
Berlin's sparkling independent scene presents itself over six days with exciting productions from all areas of the performing arts at the Performing Arts Festival Berlin from May 30 to June 4, 2023!
Bodies under Tension at the Performing Arts Festival Berlin (PAF) 2023
One city - many bodies: the program of the eighth festival edition shows the creative potential of tension of Berlin's independent performing arts.
Socio-political questions such as identities and gender norms, closeness and distance, or cohesion and responsibility will be negotiated in a multifaceted way.
Over the course of six days, the entire spectrum of the capital's independent scene will be presented on large and small stages, as well as in public spaces. The artists share their views and visions - expressively in dance, as performance, in music and spoken theater or in contemporary circus. For an exuberant festival atmosphere and casual exchange opportunities for the audience, places of encounter, music and cool summer drinks are provided.
From performance, dance and spoken theater, contemporary circus and children's and youth theater, to an audio walk on Museum Island and a diverse accompanying program, the Performing Arts Festival Berlin offers a varied program over six days.
The Performing Arts Festival Berlin, which takes place at numerous Berlin stages and production venues, is one of the most important and largest festivals of the independent performing arts in the German-speaking world.
Workshops, mediation formats or discussions frame the artistic contributions. This year's program includes artists such as Raphael Moussa Hillebrand, Anna Demidova & Team, Novoflot, and David Fernández, who will be performing not only on established Berlin stages but also in new venues and in public spaces.
The 2023 edition, how the body and society relate to each other and shows ways in which these tensions can be negotiated. The festival offers artists a platform to present their diverse works on current social, political as well as societal issues.
- The program of the scene, as the core of the festival, presents a variety of productions of the independent performing arts.
- Through the collective Zwischenraum and their performance of aerial acrobatics, a production of contemporary circus is also included.
- The program features works that challenge and question the boundaries of the body and address issues of city/space, gender, and identity.
- These tensions are negotiated, among others, in Jules Petru Fricker's (LEGZ) first own performance "between" at DOCK11.
- Hybrid productions can also be found in the program, such as the Gametheater by Borgtheater and an audio walk by the collective RAUM+ZEIT.
- The format Introducing... offers newcomers a platform to present themselves and their work.
This year, over 200 productions were submitted, from which the cooperating venues Ballhaus Ost, HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Sophiensæle and TD Berlin have selected four to be shown on their stages during the festival.
In addition to a diverse accompanying program and numerous workshops taking place over the six days of the festival, there will once again be the opportunity to follow the festival online through PAF Radio and the PAF Blog and get an overview of the week as well as a look behind the scenes. For students of Berlin's universities, there will again be a special university day at DOCK11 to get to know the independent scene.
On May 30, the festival days will begin with an opening and party. With live music and drinks, the audience, actors from the independent scene and the festival team will meet to kick off the eighth edition of the festival together. On June 4, the festival will come to a fitting close with the PAF Closing. This year's Closing will once again bring together several short performances curated by the festival team and presented by artists and collectives in a Berlin scene club.
Diverse Veranstaltungsorte/ miscellaneous venues in Berlin