The "Next Generation" has been invited to WESTWIND since 2009.
The Westwind Festival 2026 invites 10 young theatre professionals from German-speaking countries to actively participate as the "Next Generation 2026" forum: Young professionals, students or trainees from the fields of dramaturgy, scenic writing, directing, acting, performance, dance, cultural management, stage/costume design, stage music, theatre, dance, music education or similar.
Throughout the forum, they will engage in discussions on festival themes, theatre for young audiences and their personal conception of art in addition to exploring career aspirations and the realisation thereof while setting corresponding goals. Together, the forum members will attend all festival performances and additional events. WESTWIND 2026 explicitly considers itself a touchpoint between the next generation and established theatre professionals. The 2026 edition will this include various formats to facilitate exchange.
In 2026, theatre maker Hannah Biedermann will lead the Next Generation Forum.
With: Armin Behrem, Loxo Harazim, Fabian Hartje, Amina Hassan, Nina Jaunich, Ruby Leuze, Anton Mokansky, Tristan Steeg, Elli Treptow, Franziska Wachs
Hannah Biedermann is a freelance director and performer who, following her studies in Scenic Arts in Hildesheim, develops performative and interactive formats for children and young people that move beyond classical narratives. Her pieces always address socially relevant issues and explore strategies for negotiation within the theatrical space. In 2007, she founded the theater collective pulk fiktion, whose productions have been invited to various festivals and have won numerous awards. She also directs at theaters such as Schauspielhaus Bochum, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Junges Ensemble Stuttgart, junges Theater Basel, and many others. In 2017, she received the FAUST Prize in the category "Best Director of Children's and Youth Theater," and in 2023, she was awarded the ASSITEJ Prize for outstanding contributions to theater for young audiences. In 2025, pulk fiktion received the Georg Tabori Prize for outstanding independent theater nationwide.
Photo: Stephan Pramme
