Impulse 2011

Since it began in the 1990s, the Impulse Festival – organized by the NRW KULTURsekretariat – has become one of Germany’s most important festivals of independent theatre in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. For the fringe scene, this festival is regarded as the counterpart of the Berlin Theatertreffen, an event also funded by the Federal Cultural Foundation. Directed by Tom Stromberg and Matthias von Hartz, it presents a programme of selected plays, installations and performances at theatres in Bochum, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Mülheim an der Ruhr.
Impulse showcases productions which are representative of the character of the independent scene and the impulses it generates. When selecting the pieces, the jury especially looks for those which demonstrate new ways of addressing current issues and creative approaches to theatrical forms. The Impulse jury then selects the most interesting performance, which goes on tour to various festivals, including the Theatertreffen in Berlin and the Vienna Festival.

This year's festival featured a diverse range of musical highlights, including music theatre performances, newly interpreted classics, documentary and activistic projects, and even staged adaptations of computer games. Several German (co-)productions have been invited to the festival competition, including “The Host” by Andros Zins-Browne, “Conte d’Amour” by the groups Institutet and Nya Rampen, “Tagfish” by the group BERLIN, the performance collective HGich.T and “Testament” by She She Pop. Three Austrian productions have performed in the competition: “Cry Me A River” by Anna Mendelssohn, “aufplatzen” by Rabtaldirndln and “Trans-Europa-Bollywood” by God’s Entertainment. The Swiss groups CapriConnection and Schola Cantorum Basiliensis performed their co-production of “Ars moriendi”. The festival's accompanying programme featured special guests Peaches and Reverend Billy, as well as “Der perfekte Tag” – the third part of René Pollesch's “Ruhrtrilogie”.

For the first time in 2011, the festival was held during the summer so that it could take advantage of outdoor public venues for its performances. The organizers have also decided to expand the international curatorial programme and included a scholarship programme for young curators and festival organizers.

Artistic directors: Tom Stromberg, Matthias von Hartz

Venues and schedule:
Prinzregenttheater Bochum, Forum Freies Theater Düsseldorf, Studiobühne Köln, Ringlokschuppen Mülheim an der Ruhr, 29 Jun. – 10 Jul. 2011