News

Theater Oberhausen is an open and welcoming theatre for the city of Oberhausen and the region. With a focus on contemporary drama, it is as political as it is emotional, telling great stories for our time with attitude, passion, and urgency. The Open Haus, its department for outreach and participatory projects, is a networking hub for the city’s diverse communities. A newly formed Urban Arts Ensemble integrates urban dance productions into the repertoire, strengthening the theatre’s profile as an interdisciplinary centre for the performing arts. A major refurbishment will modernise the public areas of the theatre building, some of which are over 100 years old, to make it more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable.

Biosphäre Oberhausen, the first sustainability festival at Theater Oberhausen, took place in the summer of 2023. It was followed by the first carbon-free production telling the story of the famous deer fawn Bambi and focusing on the costs of human intervention in unspoiled nature. Supported by the German government’s Fonds Zero grant, the aim was not only to provide a stage for environmental issues but also to minimise the ecological footprint of the production process. It was accompanied by a small festival, BIOSPHÄRE#bambi, and other educational projects focusing on nature and sustainability. A zero-waste production is planned as a contribution to the Greenstage project.