International Wels Puppet Theater Festival 2026

Dear friends of puppet theater,
esteemed audience,

On March 12, 2026, we will kick off the 34th edition of the International Wels Puppet Theater Festival. We have once again put in a tremendous effort in curating the program and have assembled a high-caliber lineup. Our aim is to bring you joy, to make you laugh, but also to provoke thought. Or as the protagonists of this year's farewell piece say: We want to warm your hearts...

Admittedly, the devilish ladies with arsonist ambitions in "Gottlieb! It's Burning!" deliver this invitation with a touch of sarcasm. The next line reads: We want to set you ablaze! And they don’t mean that just metaphorically; they don’t only mean the hearts of the audience, but the entire hall, the theater, the world...

And when you look around the stage of the world, you might think that the arsonists have already struck... although here, we can set aside gender considerations—there are very few female arsonists or incendiary agitators, fundamentalists, or dictators in this world. Does the word dictator even have a female form? Or is that superfluous anyway? Please feel free to enlighten me otherwise!

To cut a long story short: A glance around the globe increasingly fills one with dread, and one wonders: Is humanity still salvageable, or are we knowingly steering towards our own demise?

I see art, particularly theater, as a kind of laboratory where we can observe ourselves and our lives, works, and actions in simulation. Logically, it might then make sense to take a different path here or there, to make another decision, because in this simulation, one can see where a wrong path can lead. But are we still seen and heard with our artistic work? Do people want to see and hear us? Are we perhaps too quiet?

On the other hand, it also seems that we are not entirely harmless, as those in power with dictatorial ambitions feel compelled to actively intervene in the art scene and attempt to suppress unwelcome words, writings, songs, and performances... Viewed this way, I often become aware of how privileged we are to work in a state with (still) real democracy. This encourages us to continue on our own path unwaveringly and to fill the stages, no matter how small, with beauty and ugliness, silence and noise, laughter and tears, joy and pain, depth and substance... in short, with everything that makes life worth living.

At this point, I would like to thank my team and especially the city of Wels, which makes it possible every year for us to realize this "laboratory of life" on the stages of the city.

Dear audience, accompany us on this journey, and, as a little spoiler, hold on until the end, then you will find out live how the story of the two devilish ladies concludes. So much can already be revealed: I am one of them and I look forward to seeing you!