Heidelberger Stückemarkt
Welcome! Bienvenue! Welcome!
The 43rd Heidelberger Stückemarkt will take place from 24 April to 3 May 2026 and will be the last Stückemarkt under the artistic direction of Holger Schultze. This year, Canada will be the festival’s guest country. The international guest performance programme features outstanding English, French and multilingual theatre works from Canada’s urban centres and rural provinces.
The German-language guest performance programme for this special edition of the festival is dominated largely by works that focus on the performers. For example, Wiener Burgtheater’s highly acclaimed production of Mareike Fallwickl’s play »Elisabeth!«, starring Stefanie Reinsperger in the title role, will be performed in Germany for the first time.
Under the direction of Holger Schultze, the Heidelberger Stückemarkt has continuously expanded: Since 2012, the Nachspielpreis has been awarded to promote a repeated staging of new drama. In the same year, the Jugenstückepreis was launched, focusing on world premieres for young audiences. Both prizes are part of the artistic exchange established by Holger Schultze between the festivals Heidelberger Stückemarkt, the Autor:innentheatertage at Deutsches Theater Berlin and the Mülheimer Theatertage.
With Canada, for the second time, a North American country has been invited as a guest country. Under the artistic direction of Holger Schultze, besides numerous European countries, countries from Africa, Asia, Central and South America as well as North America have thus been represented as guest countries.
With the guest performance » Fußnoten aus dem späten 21. Jahrhundert« (»Footnotes from the Late 21st Century«) of the Puppentheater of Musiktheater im Revier, awarded with the newly established FIDENA Stückepreis in 2025, Heidelberger Stückemarkt’s expansion, internationalisation and networking under Holger Schultze completes the circle.
Join us in looking forward to excellent guest performances, discussions with the audience as well as panel discussions and parties, and to all the new things we have prepared for you once again this year!