Open Call: 3 Tage Frei — The Art of Protest
Call for proposals by the Freie Tanz- und Theaterszene Stuttgart gUG (FTTS)
within 3 TAGE FREI, presented by Theater RAMPE, the Landesverband Freie Tanz- und Theaterschaffende Baden-Württemberg e. V. (LaFT BW e. V.), in cooperation with the Freie Tanz- und Theaterszene Stuttgart gUG (FTTS)
The Art of Protest — Apply now!
As part of the shortened festival edition 3 TAGE FREI, the festival 6 TAGE FREI – Festival of the Independent Performing Arts invites artists from the independent dance and theatre scene in Baden-Württemberg to take part in the festival opening with performative contributions.
We are looking for short artistic interventions that engage with protest, resistance, utopias, and cuts to cultural funding, coming together to form an opening revue in the spirit of a “protest gala.”
The open call is made possible by the Freie Tanz- und Theaterszene Stuttgart gUG, LaFT BW e. V. with funds from the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg, and the Péter Horváth Foundation.
REQUIREMENTS
Eligibility requires:
- Residence and primary professional practice in Baden-Württemberg
- Professional, freelance activity within the independent dance and theatre scene
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are seeking performative protest contributions:
- Duration: minimum 5, maximum 8 minutes
- Presentation format: revue as part of the festival opening on 15 April 2026 at Theater RAMPE
- Possible / desired formats include: utopian texts, choreographic sketches, monologues, choral interventions, lecture or performance formats, hybrid and experimental approaches, etc.
- Conceptual parameters: one lighting mood, one sound cue, minimalist setup, fast changeovers
CONCEPT: PROTEST GALA / REVUE
The opening gala of 3 TAGE FREI provides the formal framework for the invited artistic contributions. Its dramaturgy draws on revue formats and thrives on variety, rhythm, and the direct juxtaposition of highly diverse positions.
Building on the historical political and socially critical tradition of the revue, as well as contemporary modes of reception, the format works with rapid transitions, pointed forms, and striking images.
As a collective opening, the performative contributions alternate with speeches by the festival team, greetings from invited politicians, and discursive moments. The opening gala understands itself as a polyphonic beginning: loud and quiet, humorous and serious, contradictory, uncomfortable, solidaristic, and open to different aesthetic positions.
CONTEXT: WHY PROTEST?
Severe cuts to public cultural funding demand radical rethinking and affect the independent scene in particular. At the same time, we are witnessing social, political, and democracy-threatening developments as well as global conflicts that make a loud, creative, and solidaristic culture of protest more urgent than ever.
With its shortened edition 3 TAGE FREI, the festival deliberately places the art of protest at its center and asks how artistic practice can take a stand today: through sharpening positions, risk-taking, bold alliances, and insisting on the possibility that the world could be different.
FRAMEWORK CONDITIONS
- A total of 7 performance contributions will be selected
- 4 by artists based in Stuttgart
- 3 by artists based elsewhere in Baden-Württemberg
- 1–3 people may be involved per contribution
- Selection is made by lottery
- Fee: €1,500 gross production budget per contribution, regardless of the number of participants, based on a funding agreement with the Freie Tanz- und Theaterszene Stuttgart gUG
Additional provisions:
- All participating artists receive a festival pass
(Please note: accommodation costs and per diems for the remaining festival days cannot be covered.) - Artists based outside Stuttgart receive:
- an overnight flat rate of €120 gross per person
- a travel allowance of €63 gross per person
- a per diem of €28 gross per person
APPLICATION
The OPEN CALL: 3 TAGE FREI – THE ART OF PROTEST
opens on 5 February 2026 and closes on 5 March 2026 (11:59 pm).
Applications must include:
- A video clip (max. 1 minute)
- A brief introduction of the participants and the proposed performance contribution
Apply here online.
For questions regarding the open call, please contact us exclusively by email at produktion@ftts-stuttgart.de.
All information is also available at ftts-stuttgart.de.