next generation
Ever since 2009, the "Next Generation" has been invited to WESTWIND. What began as an informal gathering has evolved into an in-demand training and networking event. Each year, our nationwide call for submissions yields around 40 to 50 applications from young professionals and students from areas such as dramaturgy, directing, acting, scenery and costumes, culture and theatre education - and even study programmes such as psychology, new media and German studies. There have been quite a few prospective teachers as well.
Headed by the director and theatre educator Günter Kömmet, the 2017 scholarship winners Ulrike Günther, Frederik Hochheimer, Mario Högemann, David Kasprowski, Hannah Kloth, Romy Lehmann, Sophie Luther, Stefanie Schwimmbeck, Laura Walter and Nina Weber constitute their very own forum of the next generation.
The Next Generation Forum is a place for examining theatre for young audiences, defining one `s own understanding of art and shaping beliefs about theatrical professions and their execution. Moreover, the Next Generation is an integrated component of WESTWIND as a professional convention. The participants attend all of the performances, take part in the programme of additional events and get involved in the production discussions. For young theatre professionals, WESTWIND has become a platform for lively discussion about theatre for young audiences. But WESTWIND is not a theoretical seminar. Rather, it offers a showcase of remarkable productions, practical workshops and a multitude of exchange opportunities, whether as official programme events or informal encounters with experienced theatre professionals. Through all of this, its goal is to reinvent "the art of questioning" again and again - with curiosity, respect and critical thinking.
Direction: Günter Kömmet
Assistance: Kathrin Leneke