Arts & Education
The Arts & Education team is committed to cultural participation and to bridging the gap between theatre and the performing arts. We see theatre as an open space for experience, where encounters and personal artistic practice come together – for children, young people and adults.
Discovering new worlds
We support school classes, kindergarten groups and organisations with their theatre visits and also offer a wide range of interactive activities aimed at individuals interested in theatre. Creative workshops, discussions, drama clubs and many other activities invite participants to see things from a different perspective and discover their own forms of expression. This creates spaces for reflection, imagination and dialogue – and thus lays the foundations for cultural participation, regardless of age, background, religion or prior experience.
We warmly invite you to join us for a discussion and look forward to seeing you!
Our services:
→ Organising theatre trips for school and kindergarten groups
→ Theatre-school partnerships for secondary schools (waiting list)
→ Educational support activities before and after the performance
→ Interactive workshops and behind-the-scenes glimpses of rehearsals
→ Visits by artists to your organisation (professionals visiting)
→ Theatre workshops
Join in and Play
Drama Clubs
Seven drama clubs – for anyone who wants to discover theatre and take to the stage themselves. No previous experience is necessary. The groups will meet weekly from October 2026, develop their own productions over the course of the 2026/27 season, and celebrate their premieres in summer 2027 on the stages at the Zwinger.
Theatre workshops during the school holidays (ages 6–13)
Join other children and young people in exploring a theme creatively. Together with artists, you’ll discover all the different forms theatre can take – and present your results at the end. Theatre workshops are available during the autumn holidays for 6- to 9-year-olds and during the Easter holidays for 8- to 13-year-olds. The theatre workshop during the Easter holidays is designed to be inclusive.
→ Further information on the theatre lab during the autumn holidays can be found here.
→ Contact: kunstundvermittlung [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Come & Play
Feel like getting active before your theatre visit? Before selected drama performances, we offer a 45-minute workshop on a rehearsal stage. We take a look behind the scenes and explore the themes and motifs of the play in a playful and creative way. With a fresh perspective, we then embark on the theatre experience.
→ Dates are published in the monthly programme and on the website.
→ Tickets are available at the box office.
Stay & Talk
Explore the stage design together and let what you’ve seen sink in: following selected theatre productions, we invite you onto the stage at the Zwinger. Here, the play is relived interactively and explored further. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions and to chatting with you in a relaxed atmosphere.
→ Dates are published in the monthly programme and on the website.
Dive in and discover
Guck-Club »As You Like It« (16–100)
Staying open to new experiences: The Guck-Club is open to anyone aged 16 and over. Throughout the season, the group attends performances across all genres and discusses them – with no prior knowledge, but plenty of curiosity. What do you like? What surprises you? And what perhaps doesn’t? That’s exactly what it’s all about. This Guck-Club takes place in cooperation with the Volkshochschule Heidelberg.
→ Starts in November 2026
→ registration via the Volkshochschule Heidelberg website: vhs-hd.de
Guck-Club »What you will« (10–16)
We want to know what you want! Together, you’ll watch productions by the Young Theatre, attend rehearsals and share your thoughts. Through discussions and workshops, you’ll get to know people from the theatre and the work behind the scenes. We’re keen to hear your ideas and opinions. For everyone aged 10 to 16 who enjoys going to the theatre, meeting other theatre fans and helping to shape the Young Theatre.
→ Starts in October 2026
→ registration: kunstundvermittlung [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Offers for schools, kindergartens & institutions
Theatre as an educational partner
Would you like to take your class or group to the theatre? Are you planning a theatre visit and would like some suitable preparatory or follow-up activities? Or are you looking for a creative workshop to be held directly at your school or organisation?
Young audiences play a special role at the Heidelberg Theatre, as nursery and school groups form a central part of our audience. The Junge Theater’s major winter and summer productions are firmly established in the school programmes of many primary schools. And there are also activities for the very youngest children, from 0 years old. These enable children to have their first aesthetic experiences from a very early age.
Regular theatre visits give children and young people access to different art forms, encourage them to engage with social issues and strengthen their ability to see things from different perspectives. They enrich school learning through shared experiences and sensory engagement.
Heidelberger Schultheatertage
The 40th Heidelberger Schultheatertage will take place in spring 2027.
School theatre clubs and teachers are invited to exchange ideas about theatre work in schools and to learn from one another. School projects will be presented, tried out and developed further together. Workshops and discussions will provide fresh inspiration and create opportunities for exchange and networking.
Further information and registration from December 2026
→ Contact:
kunstundvermittlung [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Planning your visit
For partner schools
Since 2011, the partnership Theater und Schule has linked Theater & Orchester Heidelberg with secondary schools throughout the city and the region.
All pupils at the participating schools attend a performance at least once a year and take part in free theatre education activities linked to the programme. 45 partner schools are involved in this programme, which we are delighted to continue.
The Theater und Schule partnership enables:
→ regular theatre visits for all year groups
→ free preparatory and follow-up activities
→ post-performance discussions and in-depth activities
→ an introduction to various theatre genres and art forms
→ long-term collaboration and cultural participation
There is currently a waiting list for schools wishing to join the programme.
For schools, independent educational institutions & nurseries
Regardless of whether we have a partnership in place, we’re happy to organise your group visit and advise you on choosing suitable productions and formats.
We offer:
→ Morning and evening performances, group workshops
→ the Junges Abo subscription for regular visits
→ productions for all age groups – from 0 years old to sixth form
→ Theatre tours for classes from Year 5 onwards
We offer attractive prices for school and nursery groups; you can find an overview here.
Your contacts – Coordination Young audiences
Claudia Villinger
Organisation and Consultancy
Head of partnership Theater und Schule
→ +49 6221 5835 460
→ claudia.villinger [at] heidelberg.de
Tonia Außel
Organisation and Advice
Ticketing for school and nursery groups, Junges Abo Season Ticket
→ +49 6221 5835 780
→ jungegruppen [at] theater.heidelberg.de
More than just watching
Accompanying Activities & Practical Theatre Workshops
A theatre experience can be more than just attending a performance. Our theatre education programmes create a more lasting impression through pre- and post-performance activities. In a playful and age-appropriate way, they open up new perspectives on the themes, characters and aesthetic forms of the productions. We would be happy to advise you on accompanying activities and workshops.
Before going to the theatre
Open rehearsals for educators
Attend a final rehearsal before the first night, including an introduction and background information (theatre)
→ free offer
→ Contact: kunstundvermittlung [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Accompanying material
Information on production and materials, with ideas for lessons
→ free download from our website (in German)
Preparation
A 90-minute hands-on workshop at your school prior to the theatre visit
→ 35 euros per school lesson plus travel costs outside Heidelberg (free of charge for partner schools)
→ Contact: claudia.villinger [at] heidelberg.de
Introduction with theatre educators
20-minute introduction before the performance
→ free offer
→ Contact: kunstundvermittlung [at] theater.heidelberg.de
After the performance
Follow-up discussion
Discussion with participants following the presentation
→ free offer
→ Contact: claudia.villinger [at] heidelberg.de
Follow-up workshop
A 90-minute, hands-on workshop at your school following a theatre visit
→ 35 euros per school lesson plus travel costs outside Heidelberg (free of charge for partner schools)
→ Contact: claudia.villinger [at] heidelberg.de
A look behind the scenes
Viewing a rehearsal
A one-off rehearsal visit with the whole class or group, combined with a performance visit (musical theatre, dance, drama)
→ free offer
→ Contact: jungegruppen [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Premiere class
Intensive support for a production, including attending rehearsals, a workshop, a performance and discussions with the team (Junges Theater)
→ free offer
→ Contact: jungegruppen [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Guided tours for secondary schools
On request, we offer guided theatre tours for secondary school groups (only in conjunction with a theatre visit).
→ 4 euros per pupil
→ Contact: jungegruppen [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Experience music: »Viaggio in orchestra – A Journey into the Orchestra«
A special behind-the-scenes look at a rehearsal for nurseries and schools: the children sit on cushions amongst the musicians and experience the sound of the orchestra up close.
→ Can also be booked for secondary schools, including the option for a discussion
→ 4 euros per child/pupil
→ Contact: jungegruppen [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Visit from the pros
Musicians, singers or actors will visit your school or organisation. They will talk about their work, perform music or act out scenes, and provide age-appropriate insights into everyday life in the theatre.
→ free offer
→ Contact: kunstundvermittlung [at] theater.heidelberg.de
Simulation game (from 7th grade onwards)
On selected dates, the Junge Theater opens its doors and invites school classes to create their own theatre. As part of a simulation game, a theatre is opened, a programme is drawn up and promotional material is produced. In doing so, we explore in depth the question: What might a theatre run by and for young people look like?
→ Contact: jungestheater [at] theater.heidelberg.de
We're looking forward to seeing you!
Your team Arts & Education
Theatre Education
Mareike Schneider – Head of Education and Theatre Education
Annabelle Ruth – Concert and Musical Theatre Education
Gaëlle Morello – Dance Education
Lisa Zollner – Theatre Education and Organisation Arts & Education
Irina Battaglia – Theatre Education Young Theatre
Laura Schuster Camposeco – Theatre Education Young Theatre
Ranja Armbruster – Organisation Arts & Education
Co-ordination Young audiences
Claudia Villinger – Head of partnership Theater und Schule, Organisation and Consultancy
Tonia Außel – Ticketing for scholls and kindergarten groups, Youth Season Ticket, Organisation and Consultancy
