Fast Forward 2024

A jury is a group of people who have been invited to publicly describe what they’ve seen. Of course there are always different perspectives on a production and that’s why it’s so interesting to hear about them. After we all had such a great experience last year, there will once again be a Fast Forward Young Jury in 2023: five young people and one mentor will visit the festival together and make their decision on the last night of the festival, as will the international jury of experts and the audience with the audience award. We’re already looking forward to an awards ceremony with lots of different voices!

FESTIVAL JURY
The 2023 festival jury includes a theatre critic, a director, a curator and theatre manager, and the artistic director of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. On the last night, the jury will award a prize to one of the seven festival productions. The award-winner(s) will then be invited to stage a new production at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. Before its final deliberation, the jury also meets representatives of the acting ensemble to exchange views on the works they have seen.

Žiga Divjak, b. 1992, studied Directing at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In his own unique form of documentary theatre, he usually creates work about urgent current social and political issues. He also stages dramas and literary material, has received numerous prizes and is one of the most important artistic voices of his generation. He was a guest at Fast Forward in 2019 with SERVANT YERNEY AND HIS RIGHT, a production about the low-wage sector in Slovenia.

Valeria Heintges, b. 1968, studied German, History and Philosophy in Münster and Freiburg im Breisgau, and began her career in the Sächsische Zeitung newspaper in Dresden, where she was culture editor until 2010. She has lived in Zurich since 2010 and has been working freelance since 2017. Her writing focuses on theatre, literature and nature for media outlets such as nachtkritik.de, Theater heute, NZZ am Sonntag as well as titles belonging to the CH Media Group. She was a member of the jury for the Solothurner Literaturtage and has been a member of the Berliner Theatertreffen jury since 2022.

Barbara Van Lindt, b. 1966 in Belgium, studied Philosophy and Theatre Studies and is co-director of the Kaaitheater in Brussels with Agnes Quackels since 2019. Van Lindt’s interests in international, contemporary performing arts and in supporting emerging artists have always been the main poles of her work, both as a curator and producer (Gasthuis Amsterdam, wpZimmer Antwerpen, Kunstenfestivaldesarts), and as the director of the international Master’s DAS Theatre in Amsterdam. There she has supported path-breaking work that has received international attention and developed a widely disseminated feedback method.

Joachim Klement, b. 1961 in Düsseldorf, dramaturge at theatres including Theater Graz, Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Nationaltheater Mannheim (head dramaturge), head dramaturge and vice-artistic director at the Bremer Theater and at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, artistic director of the Staatstheater Braunschweig, since 2017 artistic director of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden.

FAST FORWARD YOUNG JURY
A festival for young stage directors should have a young jury too. The young generation’s view is no doubt a very unique one. In art, in theatre, in storytelling, on and in front of the stage, it is also always about the resonating body that we are as the audience. It’s about the echo that a production triggers in us, whether that’s identification, distancing, sympathy or rejection, the experience of a new feeling or an intense encounter with an idea. Sometimes being the audience is work, theatre professionals know this very well. That’s why we’re happy to welcome five young people to the young jury again this year, who will watch all festival productions with professional support and also award a prize just like the Fast Forward festival jury. They’ll meet the artists, have discussions, give praise, applaud and enjoy the whole festival programme. At the award ceremony, the young jury will announce and explain their choice, and then the Fast Forward Young Jury Prize will be awarded for the second time!

AUDIENCE AWARD
After four days of the festival, we would also like to ask you, the audience, which of the festival shows was most touching, surprising, provocative, inspiring or made you think. And one thing is for sure already: every vote counts!