Recklinghausen calls itself the "City of the Ruhr Festival". The district town on the edge of the Ruhr region can indeed be proud of its theater festival - after all, it is one of the most important and traditional theater festivals in the country and also the oldest theater festival in Europe.
In the post-war winter of 1945/46, Hamburg theater people traveled to the Ruhr region to ask for coal for their theaters. Impressed by the miners' willingness to help, they thanked them with a guest performance the following summer. That was the birth of the Ruhr Festival.
Cultural metropolis in the northern Ruhr region
During the annual festival season from May 1 to mid-June, Recklinghausen has since been transformed into an international cultural and theatrical metropolis. Since then, many important directors have come to work at the Festspielhaus Recklinghausen, and contemporary dance productions are also increasingly shaping the repertoire. Works from the #YoungScene, visual arts and new discourse formats also seek to address relevant political issues. The program continues under the term "New Circus". Leading international groups and companies from this genre are regular guests.
Well-known actors read literary texts that deal with the thematic focus of the respective Ruhr Festival season.
Children's and youth theater as a central pillar
The Ruhrfestspiele, which is driven by the desire to be a festival for everyone, sees children's and young people's theater as a central pillar of the festival. On the one hand, the Young Ruhrfestspiele invite audiences of almost all ages to watch, experience and share theater experiences. On the other hand, they extend their offer to become active themselves in various workshops.
