The "
Award for Independent Performing Arts" was awarded for the first time on February 13, 2025 by the Landesverband Freie Darstellende Künste Bremen. The project serves to recognize artistic work with a focus on the promotion of creative forms of expression and the visualization of outstanding partial aspects as well as overall projects. Applications were submitted by individual artists and groups from the fields of dance, theater, performance, contemporary circus and puppet theater with productions that have cultural relevance and open up social discourse. Following its successful launch, the prize is to be awarded annually in order to network artists from the independent scene and ensure the visibility of Bremen artists beyond the state's borders.
I. NOMINATION
Period: November 6 – November 24, 2024, 8:00 PM
Through the form below, productions or production outcomes that were produced or premiered in Bremen, or in which Bremen-based artists played a significant role, could be nominated. Self-productions could also be nominated. Nominations were justified based on at least three of the following criteria: artistic quality, diversity/inclusion, relevance, as well as sustainability and innovation.
1. Artistic Quality
- Originality and expressiveness of the work.
- Technical skills and artistic implementation.
2. Diversity/Inclusion
- Consideration of various perspectives, themes, and styles.
- Inclusion of interdisciplinary approaches.
- Consideration of inclusive aspects, such as the diversity of performers, thematic diversity, accessibility, cultural sensitivity.
3. Relevance
- Societal, cultural, or political relevance of the work.
- Effectiveness and impact on the audience or community.
- Influence of the work on the local cultural scene and community life.
- Contribution to identity formation in the cultural context.
- Relevance of the work in comparison to national trends and developments.
4. Sustainability and Innovation
- Artistic work that has already sustainably existed in the market and/or has a high degree of innovation.
- Potential for future developments.
- Sustainable production/production outcome achieved with minimal resources.
- Use of new or unconventional media/formats.
II. SELECTION
Period: November 28 – December 8, 2024
During this phase, members of LAFDK voted anonymously via an online platform. Each member had three votes, which could be distributed across different submissions. The submissions with the most votes was announced as winners during the award ceremony. Below is the shortlist of the ten productions with the most votes, listed in alphabetical order:
Butter bei die Fische
Das herbare Lapidarium
Der Fund
DIE IDEE
Die Odyssee der Hanni Baumgarten
Du hast mich zu lieben
Feuerspuren Festival
Las Otras
Oddli Andersfisch
Stummfilmreihe Buster Keaton
III. AWARD CEREMONY
Date: February 13, 2025, at Schaulust Bremen
These productions were honored in a festive evening moderated by Kaja Jakstat (Hamburg) and Tobias Sailer (Bremen):
- The third prize (€500) was a shared prize! It went to
Die Odyssee der Hanni Baumgarten by circus artists Merle Freund, Martin Bogus, Tina Badenhop and Christoph Bendikowski and to the production
Oddli Andersfisch by Pretty Playful Productions (dance category).
- The second prize (€1,000) went to the
Feuerspuren Festival, organized by Kultur vor Ort eV in the Gröpelingen district.
-
Der Fund from bremer kriminal theater was awarded first prize (€1,500)!
The selection was made by the 203 members of the LAFDK.
Thord1s accompanied the award ceremony with music and
Leefje Roy contributed graphic recordings live on location.
In addition to the Senator for Culture, the prize was supported by Georg von Heusinger as a non-party member of the FDP on the Östliche Vorstand local council. We congratulate all prize winners and thank all supporters and participants.
Photo: Manja Herrmann
IV. EVALUATION
Period: 3–6 weeks after the award ceremony
All LAFDK members will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the application process during an evaluation meeting. The evaluation aims to identify areas for improvement for the next round.
If you have any questions, please contact: info@lafdk-bremen.de or 0421 69680432
The Open Call (PDF):
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