Call for applications from all artists in the performing arts and music
– Become part of Sommerwerft – the international theatre festival by the river – and apply by 19 April 2026 to perform on one of our stages in public spaces!
This year, the “Sommerwerft” invites you to the eastern bank of the Main in Frankfurt for the 25th time, opening a space for culture, community and dialogue from 24 July to 9 August 2026. In 2026, the Sommerwerft celebrates 25 years of transforming the banks of the Main at the Weseler-Werft into an open and democratic cultural space. Founded in a historically peripheral part of the city, the festival now takes place in the shadow of the European Central Bank and fosters a culture that includes everyone. Over the years, the Sommerwerft has grown into a major event, offering free access to theatre, dance, music, film, workshops and participatory cultural formats.
For the anniversary edition, we are seeking regional, national and international contributions:
Theatre, dance or performance, music or poetry, sound, spatial or other forms of installation art, on stage or site-specific – we are open to a wide variety of ideas and concepts.
With the theme ‘The Ocean Begins in Frankfurt’, this year we are focusing on water and the global significance of rivers and oceans in the context of the climate crisis. For a quarter of a century, the Sommerwerft has been an international theatre festival by the river. Much has changed in our city and in the world during this time, but the Main has remained a reliable constant. Without it, the atmosphere at the Sommerwerft would certainly be different. Yet the Main, like all other rivers and bodies of water, is influenced and threatened by human activity. It is affected by rising water temperatures, oxygen depletion and increasing microplastic pollution – consequences that have a direct impact on biodiversity, water quality and the quality of life for the people of Hesse. The fact that this also has supra-regional implications, as rivers are connected to the global water cycle, is made clear by the EU campaign #MakeEUBlue: “The Ocean begins in your city”.
We live on a Blue Planet that is 71% covered in water, akin to an organism that fluidly keeps everything in contact with one another.
Through an artistic exploration of this element and subject area, we aim to develop shared strategies for a new awareness of water-related environmental issues – strategies based on creativity, shared knowledge and collective action.
We want to explore how our bodies – which are themselves made up of up to 70% water – are connected to the world’s waters, what stories of the oceans we carry within us, and what forces – both divisive and unifying – the world’s oceans and rivers can unleash.
As part of the 17-day Sommerwerft programme, a 5-day intensive phase – the BLUE LAB – will be organised by a consortium of regional and international artists, scientists, environmental activists and cultural practitioners. Blue Lab is an interdisciplinary cultural and environmental project that uses art as a space for dialogue and perception to foster ocean literacy. From 29 July to 2 August, various activities will take place at the Sommerwerft, following a ‘source-to-sea’ logic: they link everyday life along the Main with rural landscapes, coastal areas and global ocean systems, and translate scientific findings into accessible, creative and emotionally engaging cultural experiences.
If you would like to contribute to this, we look forward to receiving your application! The artistic contributions should relate to the multifaceted aspects of the theme, evoke associations and encourage engagement with it.
As part of the festival community, you will be living on the protagon – international performing arts site alongside many other artists. It is important to us to share the collective spirit of the Sommerwerft here too, and to put the participatory ethos into practice as a gesture of solidarity.
We look forward to receiving your proposal and any unsolicited applications, so that we can ultimately put together a diverse and high-quality programme of performances. We are accepting applications up to and including 19 April 2026. We aim to provide feedback to all shortlisted applicants by the end of May at the latest. If you haven’t heard from us by then, it means it hasn’t worked out this year, unfortunately.
Below you will find the possible stage formats for your performance.
We look forward to a vibrant cultural summer with you all!
This venue is designed for large-scale, full-length productions. Under the OPEN SKY, on a large scale for audiences of up to 1,000 seated spectators, the Sommerwerft traditionally offers two performance areas where, over the last 20 years, major international productions with up to 3,500 spectators have taken place.
Two stage areas are available on level ground:
Theatre Square West: Open space 20 x 30 metres / Surface: cobblestones Audience layout: flexible
Theatre Square East: Stage area 12 x 13 metres / Level open-air surface with fixed backdrop and truss for lighting & sound Audience layout: front and side
Time slots: always Wednesday to Saturday: 9.45 pm – 11.00 pm
Contact: Bernhard Bub – office(ät)protagon.net
OPEN-AIR STAGE – THEATRE, DANCE AND PERFORMANCES as an evening programme
Measuring 10 x 6 metres with an internal height of 4 metres (rear edge 3.6 metres), the covered open-air stage offers a classic black box with a dance floor. A production from the various fields of the performing arts is to be staged here daily from around 8.00 pm: poetic, diverse and innovative! Please include an adapted lighting concept with your application, as sunset during the festival period does not occur until after 9.00 pm!
Contact: freilichtbuehne(ät)sommerwerft.de
On our covered open-air stage, independent professional theatre groups can perform their plays for children of all ages: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each theatre group can put on two performances in the afternoon (4.00 pm and 6.00 pm). The plays should be suitable for open-air performance and appeal to a diverse audience: catering to as many age groups as possible and accessible to everyone. The performance should not last longer than 60 minutes. The performance area is 5m wide and 6m deep, with a clear height of 2.20 to 2.80m. Microphone stands and basic lighting are provided. We would also welcome groups who can offer a children’s workshop as well! The children’s stage is curated in cooperation with Protagon e.V. and the THEATERHAUS ENSEMBLE. We look forward to receiving your applications!
Contact person:
Julia Pohlmann juliapohlmann(ät)theaterhaus-frankfurt.de
The Cultural Space is the place for everything that doesn’t need a stage. The Sommerwerft thrives on its unique location on the banks of the Main. Nestled amongst green spaces and old harbour machinery, it offers spaces in all sorts of corners that can be used and brought to life through art, performance and theatre. For our Kulturfreiraum, we are looking for spontaneous, imaginative and adaptable (site-specific) performances / walk-acts etc., which can take place in daylight and, alongside the main stages, transform the Sommerwerft site into an inclusive theatre experience.
Contact Person:
Julia Nierzwicki – nierzwicki(ät)protagon.net
Luna Araya Vega – arayavega(ät)protagon.net
Hello dear musicians and bands – For the music stage (4m x 3m), we are looking for singer-songwriters and small bands who, without a drum kit and using only acoustic instruments and percussion, would like to play a concert in the wonderful atmosphere of our Bedouin tent.
Contact: Seppl Niemeyer – radio(ät)virusmusik.de
The Sommerwerft has several open-air spaces available that can be used for workshops in theatre, dance and performance, as well as any form of bodywork, and for other participatory formats such as discussion groups, information sessions, etc.
Please provide a brief note regarding accessibility; if possible, include details on the language of instruction, type of movement, prior experience, any necessary physical requirements, and the use of touch.
Contact person: Patsch Katrin Hailer – hailer(ät)protagon.net
The Sommerwerft features a children’s area and other outdoor open spaces available for workshops for children and young people.
We are seeking workshops and innovative or tried-and-tested participatory formats, particularly in the fields of theatre, dance & circus and related disciplines.
Contact Person: Nils Wittkowski – wittkowski(ät)protagon.net
Dear dancers and performers from the independent scene!
For NIGHT OF DANCE 2026 Vol. I / II, we are looking for pieces in the fields of dance, dance performance or dance theatre for two different programme evenings – hybrid or multidisciplinary approaches are welcome, though the focus should remain on the body and movement!
WHEN: Vol. I: 27 July. Vol. II: 3 August 2026
RUNNING TIME: between 15–30 minutes
STAGE: 10 x 6 metres
Lighting and technical requirements should be as flexible and straightforward as possible, as the Night of Dance is shared with other artists.
Contact person: Barbara Luci Carvalho – nod(ät)sommerwerft.de
To all artists in the queer scene! We are looking for dance or theatre performances for our Queer Nights 2025 at the Sommerwerft. The performance should be based on the body and movement and relate to queer and LGBTQIA+ themes.
What you need to know:
– Dates: 30 July 2026, from 8 pm, and 6 August 2026
Duration of the piece: between 15 and 70 minutes
Stage: 10 x 6 metres (performances usually take place before nightfall)
Understanding reality not as something static, but as something fluid that emerges through dialogue and encounters, opens up new possibilities for us to understand one another and shape society. That is why we are seeking your proposals for the ‘Fluid Realities’ project, through which we aim to shape public space with perspectives from queer art and culture within the Sommerwerft programme (theatre and open-air stage, music programme, cultural space and workshops), so that together we can live in a tolerant and diverse society.
Contact persons: Lucas Tanajura und Benedikt Müller mueller(ät)protagon.net
Dear independent artists from the Global South!
In 2026, the Porto Brasil programme aims to strengthen ties between Brazil and other countries of the Global South. The aim is to break down geographical and physical barriers, a vision reflected in our cultural programme and brought to life for audiences through the performing arts. We intend to create this programme from a variety of productions that explore the boundaries of performativity and seek a dialogue with other practices or languages.
For PORTO BRASIL – GLOBAL SOUTH 2026, we are seeking productions that straddle the fields of dance, performance, theatre, circus and audiovisual media. The focus should be on the body and movement!
WHEN: 31 July 2026
RUNNING TIME: between 15–30 minutes STAGE: 10 x 6 metres
Lighting and technical requirements should be as flexible and straightforward as possible, as PORTO BRASIL – GLOBAL SOUTH 2026 will be shared with other artists.
Contact person: Bárbara Luci Carvalho – carvalho(ät)protagon.net
Silent Cinema (with headphones) takes place on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. We are looking for short and feature-length films that relate to the theme “The Ocean Begins in Frankfurt”.
Submissions should include:
– Name of the filmmaker or collective & title of the work
– Film length, country of origin, language and subtitles (EN or DE minimum)
– Description of the work (max. 400 characters) (for the programme)
– Photo of the work (for the programme)
– Link to the full video and to the additional video trailer
Contact person: Edith van den Elzen elzen(ät)protagon.net
In addition to artistic formats, we are also looking for thematic initiatives and activities for BLUE LAB, e.g. from environmental organisations, activists and scientists, centred around the theme of rivers and oceans. These could include, for example, dialogue formats, initiatives to raise environmental awareness, nature explorations along the river, etc.
The Blue LAB Committee looks forward to receiving proposals for the period from 29 July to 2 August.
Each day of the BLUE LAB will focus on a different stage of water’s journey from source to ocean, culminating in a joint celebration dedicated to the core principles of sustainability for rivers and oceans: respect, responsibility, community, justice and inclusion.
Wednesday 29 July: Discovering the Source
Thursday 30 July: Rivers and Wetlands
Friday 31 July: Coasts and Estuaries
Saturday 1 August: Ocean
Sunday 2 August: Celebration
Contact: escunacriativa(ät)gmail.com
Please send applications for other event formats, such as installations, panel discussions or similar, directly to: office(ät)protagon.net
