The Festival for emerging Artists of the Independent Arts Scene at the Ringlokschuppen Ruhr

NEW DREAMS OF SOCIETY

Reality has grown harsher. Classism and racist narratives are being openly articulated. The ‘cityscape’ is being declared a problem. The political climate is becoming more hostile, the social climate is growing colder, and the word ‘us’ is increasingly used to draw boundaries rather than open doors.  

For a moment, we’ll switch off the background noise. Not to shut it out or close our eyes to the world. But rather to dream it anew. To immerse ourselves in images that are scarcely to be found amidst the constant clamour of crisis. To uphold our  claim to a better (co-)existence, even as so much weighs us down.  

HundertPro Festival Vol. 7 celebrates theatre as a place where new images emerge, images that do not merely depict what is, but reopen our eyes to what could be. From anarchic puppet theatre to a highly emotional break-up rave, cool Black dandy aesthetics, grotesque portrayals of masculinity and the deconstruction of patriarchal traditions, on stage it becomes evident: society is a constructed world – just like theatre: the result of decisions, agreements and power dynamics. And everything that is constructed can also be re-constructed. At least for the duration of a festival. And we are hoping: for the time that follows as well.  

So: Open your eyes. Let us dream.  

Programme

Die Entfesselung des Sebastian  

Katharina (Katze) Greven

Performance 

Language: GER | Duration: 45 Min 

Katze Greeven grew up with the marksmen's festival in the Lower Rhine. In her village's club, there were only men until Katze learned the flag waving from her brother. Together with the musician Cordula Heins and the horn player Karin Knobloch, she questions the military, Christian, and patriarchal roots of the marksmen's festival. 

I want revenge, grandma 

Colleen Ndemeh Fitzgerald

Dance 

Language: EN | Duration: 45 Min 

In this both intimate and accusatory performance, Colleen Ndemeh analyzes Liberia’s colonial past. She criticises european colonial practices and sets out specific demands for the present and the future. Drawing on her Kpelle roots, she demands the audience to confront the question: What comes after centuries of colonial violence? 

ESCAPE 

Nora Varga Vermes

Theatre 

Language: EN | Duration: 45 Min 

The forest air is almost motionless, a light mist covers the ground, and small animals scurry about. Escape begins with the first act of hunting: a potential origin of civilisation, patriarchal order and violence. By means of association, shifting perspectives, interaction with objects and materials, as well as awkwardness and absurdity, ESCAPE poses the question: hunter or gatherer? 

Living the Schatz Life  

Schatz & Schatz GbR

Physical Theatre 

Language: GER | Duration: 15 Min 

What makes for a perfect relationship in 2026? Schatz & Schatz humorously explores topics such as polyamory, gender roles, sustainability, egocentrism, and the quest for perfection. At the same time, the characters reflect a longing for: the ability to argue well, to grapple with issues and perspectives, and to still love passionately. 

SÖHNE 

Nathan William Stearns & Alper Adem Yilmaz

Physical Theatre 

Language: GER | Duration: 15 Min 

In a fast-paced, dynamic TV-channel-style format, two performers switch back and forth between various stereotypical male roles. In doing so, they blend grotesque humor and pop culture references with their own personal experiences. From sitcoms to telenovelas, from YouTube tutorials to commercials, masculinity is staged, parodied, and made consumable. 

How not to disappear 

Naledi Majola

Dance 

Language: - | Duration: 25 Min 

A performer moves through the space, oscillating between elegance, control, and vulnerability. Inspired by the aesthetics of the Black Dandy and the first Pride event in Johannesburg in 1990, the performance explores visibility as a form of protection, resistance, and self-assertion.

Masturpiece: Major Tom 

Seung Hwan Lee

Physical Theatre 

Language: EN | Duration: 15 Min 

Is something actually being created here, or is the creative process merely being performed? We often assume that there is a deeper meaning, a hidden message, behind every work of art—but is that necessarily the case? Is this piece trying to tell us something—or is it just a showcase for the artist’s inflated ego? More of a confession than a statement, Masturpiece hovers in the tenuous space between sincerity and irony. 

HARD_BREAK </3 

Marco Merenda

Performance 

Language: EN | Duration: 45 Min 

HARD_BREAK </3 is a performance about breaking up, a collective breakup ritual in four phases that takes place between a karaoke stage, a techno club, and a rage room. But it’s about more than that: at a time when reactionary narratives are gaining ground worldwide, HARD_BREAK </3 invites us to explore new forms of relationship, identity, and the future together.