The German State Theatre Timișoara is honoured to announce that it will collaborate with the Theatre of Altenburg Gera on a joint project, funded with almost 190,000 euros by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The premiere is planned for spring 2024 - in the form of a double programme, both in Romania and in Germany, with ensembles from both countries.

In a first phase of the project, two texts will be written. The one for TGST will be written by the well-known playwright Elise Wilk, and the one for the Altenburg Gera Theatre by Anja Hilling. The plays will explore the conditions and sources of poverty in the two countries, social inequality and how art can reflect these problems. These productions will be staged in such a way that the shows can be performed independently of each other, but also together.

Timisoara, which will be European Capital of Culture in 2023, has been twinned with Gera since 1970. While Timișoara is one of the few regions in Romania that is booming economically, Gera is located in eastern Thuringia, in a region with a still poor infrastructure compared to other parts of Germany. In addition to the two institutions, the Goethe-Institut Bucharest and the German Cultural Centre are also involved in the project. An accompanying programme for students and an exchange of experience between artists are also planned.

Classes from the German-speaking Nikolaus Lenau High School in Timișoara and the German-speaking Spalatin Gymnasium Altenburg will take part in the exchange. This exchange of experiences also involves the process of creation and staging of the respective production, as well as the development of their own creative project based on the themes discussed in the two performances.

Moreover, the Banat Philharmonic will also carry out a project together with the Altenburg Gera Philharmonic Orchestra, in which both the Timisoara Opera choir and the Ion Vidu High School choir will participate. Several concerts will be performed first in Gera and then on 28 and 29 September 2023 in Timișoara.