Friday, 6 June, 16:00 — FFT Düsseldorf
At today’s awards ceremony, on Friday, 6 June 2025, the children’s jury, the youth jury and the expert jury announced which of the ten NRW productions they deemed to be notable, praiseworthy, honourable or memorable. Together, they awarded equal shares of prize money totalling 10,000 euros from the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to their selected winners.
The children’s jury—consisting of Aedan D'Inca, Marie Höhn, Momo Knevels, Tosca Knoebel, Lieselotte Rüdel, Lotta Singh, Mia Tangen, Rona Tarhan and Maya Seuken—honoured the production “Monsterrrrr!” by TOBOSO from Essen for ages 7 & up, a physical comedy featuring Trygve Wakenshaw. Excerpt from the jury’s statement: “It was very colourful and imaginative and not too scary. The costume sent a playful message that nothing ominous was going to happen. Our highlights were the self-produced soundscapes and the many spontaneous jokes.”
The youth jury—consisting of Hannah Claas, Thien Kim Phan, Eli Aliashvili, Julian Lambrozov, Kassandra Giftaki and Danyil Kostiunin—honoured the production “in liebe,” by c.t.201 from Cologne for ages 14 & up, a collective creation by Sefa Küskü and ensemble. Excerpt from the jury’s statement: “A play that brings an uncomfortable reality to the stage—without lecturing, but with clarity, emotion and courage. It is a powerful, courageous play that artistically condenses our current reality, takes us teenagers seriously and tells a story that needs to be heard.”
The expert jury—consisting of curator Mijke Harmsen; theatre director, dancer and choreographer Jan Kress; and cultural journalist Dorothea Marcus—likewise honoured the production “Monsterrrrr!” by TOBOSO from Essen for ages 7 & up. Excerpt from the jury’s statement: “A play that appeals to us all on different sensory levels while also addressing socially relevant topics such as marginalisation, authority and othering. The production tackles themes such as loneliness, anger and the dissolution of boundaries in psychologically profound ways and yet, at the same time, makes us laugh so much that we almost can’t take it anymore.”
Westwind Festival 2025 is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Düsseldorf. With the kind support of the Cultural Office as well as the Office for Social Affairs and Youth of the City of Düsseldorf in addition to Demokratie leben! Düsseldorf. In cooperation with NRW KULTURsekretariat and Erasmus+.
Children’s jury laudations
Our week was full of lively discussions and several skilfully crafted, humorous plays. But in the end, we came to the conclusion that the play “Monsterrr” by TOBOSO Essen was our winner. Our reasoning: it was very funny and a really enjoyable experience. The production was extremely creative, for example, in its choice of costume. It was very colourful and imaginative and not too scary—we particularly liked the bright wig with three horns on it paired with a ballerina skirt. The costume sent a playful message that nothing ominous was going to happen. We were also impressed by how convincing the performer was in his role. Our highlights were the self-produced soundscapes and the many spontaneous jokes. We also liked the fact that the monster fell into the set, that it wasn’t an actor but a real monster on stage, and the use of recurring wordplay jokes. The message we ultimately took away from this production is: “It doesn’t matter who or what you are. Everyone should be equal and have the opportunity to discover the world in their own way.” For all these reasons, we’ve chosen “Monsterrr” as our winner, though all the plays we saw were great and deserved a prize. That is why we made presents for the others. Please collect them after the awards ceremony. Then we will give a big round of applause to “Bad Bugs”, “Unsere Grube” and “Ich will das so”.
Youth jury laudations
Dear audience, dear ensemble, dear participants,
We, the youth jury, have experienced many powerful, moving and inspiring productions over the past few days. But one play made a particularly lasting impression on us. A play that brings an uncomfortable reality to the stage—without lecturing, but with clarity, emotion and courage.
Our youth jury award goes to: “in liebe,” by c.t.201 freies Theater Köln.
The play centres on two teenaged friends—two characters who could hardly be more different, yet who complement each other in wonderful ways. They provide us with a perspective that is directly relatable to us as teens: approachable, honest, emotional.
Through these two, we experience how love and friendship can merge, feel the pain of loss and question the extent to which fear determines our actions. And in the end, one central, harrowing question remains: which of the two is more afraid of ending up like Hatun Sürücü? This question has a lasting effect. Because the play reminds us that Hatun Sürücü has not been forgotten: “her courage echoes so loudly that it can still be heard today.”
What makes this play special is its tone. It strikes a balance between its heavy subject matter and lighter moments. It provides real moments of humour in the middle of a story about fear, coercion and violence. That is not a contradiction—it is human. And it shows how powerful theatre can be when it allows for both tears and laughter, seriousness and lightness.
At the same time, “in liebe,” does not shy away from pointing out social ills: statistics on femicides that are shocking. The silent coercion in family structures that are often characterised by patriarchal ideas. The risks that people—especially women—take when they defy these norms, attempt to break away and remain true to themselves. Especially in the context of Muslim cultures, it becomes clear how high the price of freedom can sometimes be. But the play does not condemn. It observes. It confronts. It questions—and encourages reflection. This is precisely why we are awarding this prize today: because “in liebe,” is a powerful, courageous play that artistically condenses our current reality, takes us teenagers seriously and tells a story that needs to be heard.
Congratulations to the ensemble and the entire team of c.t.201 freies Theater Köln!
Expert jury laudations
“Monsterrrrr!” by TOBOSO from Essen, ages 7 & up.
“Monsterrrrr!” is a play that appeals to us all on different sensory levels while also addressing socially relevant topics such as marginalisation, authority and othering. The production tackles themes such as loneliness, anger and the dissolution of boundaries in psychologically profound ways and yet, at the same time, makes us laugh so much that we almost can’t take it anymore. In fact, the way the audience experiences each theme is well-nigh physical. “Monsterrr” uses simple means to take on complex issues: how should we feel about rules and their transgression? What happens to those who step out of line? How far do we push limits ourselves? And who is actually marginalised and why? At times, the production scratches the surface of good taste, but stages precisely this in an aesthetically subtle way. It is clowning in the best sense of the word—a full range of funny aspects that still leave room for sadness.