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Sophienstraße 18
10178 Berlin-Mitte

About us – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin

Program

2026
35 edition

Current

About us

Sophiensæle is one of Berlin’s most important centers for the independent performing arts. Located in a historically protected building complex that was formerly home to the Berlin Craftsmen’s Association (Handwerkervereinshaus), Sophiensæle presents a broad, ever-changing spectrum of performing arts. Founded in 1996 as a theater by artists for artists, we consider it our core task to promote artistic growth and development. As such, we present a mixture of both established and emerging talents, as well as local and international perspectives. Our stages feature artists who work outside the boundaries of genre, exploring new possibilities within and beyond their disciplines and developing innovative forms that bridge the worlds of dance, performance, theater, visual arts, discourse, text, hospitality, and immersive gatherings.

Today, Sophiensæle consists of two historic halls, the Festsaal (Festival Hall) and the Hochzeitsaal (Wedding Hall), as well as the former canteen. From a historical perspective, the building represents a significant chapter in the history of workers’ emancipation: in 1905, the Berlin Craftsmen’s Association founded a workers’ educational association here, offering its members a new type of space for training, further education, and assemblies.

In 2011, parts of the complex were painstakingly renovated. This partial renovation preserved much of the space’s original character, allowing the rich history of the building complex to remain palpable throughout. Our open spaces, with their flexible configuration, are an ideal place for the needs of the independent performing arts. Here, artists find a platform to reflect on social developments from multiple perspectives and to question them artistically. A crucial factor in establishing a dialogue is the exchange of ideas—not only with the cities society, our audience, but also among the artists themselves. Sophiensæle offers Berlin artists, with their diverse international ties, an artistic laboratory in which they can test and present new ideas. We set thematic focusses, which take shape through annually changing curated festivals, series, and programming bringing international and local perspectives into exchange. The production house also cooperates with a large and diverse list of local, national, and international partners.

As a forward-thinking institution whose doors are open to all, we are in a constant state of change and evolution. A central concern of ours is to allow audiences and artists multiple points of access to our work. We work hard to cater to a range of communities and their needs, striving to remove barriers in all areas. This includes for example regular audio descriptions, relaxed performances and events in German Sign Language, as well as self-critical reflection in relation to our production structures and program design, e.g. within the in the Berlin network Making a Difference.

From the start of the 2024/25 season Sophiensæle will have an artistic advisory board at its side. It is important to us to sustainably integrate the perspectives of artists into our structures in order to further develop the artistic vision of our space in a mutual exchange, to review production conditions for artists and to strengthen the cultural-political situation of Sophiensæle. Four artists with different focuses and practices are appointed for two years at a time. The members for the years 2024–2026 are Simone Dede Ayivi, Isabel Lewis, Enad Marouf and Hendrik Quast.

Additionally, we have a number of measures in place to promote young aesthetics. For example, Sophiensæle is the organizer of Tanztage Berlin and a founding member of the international production platform Freischwimmen.

Speech by Jens Hillje at the opening of the 2023/2024 season

 

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