New duo at the top: Leifert and Sakalak lead the favorite festival!

New duo at the top: Leifert and Sakalak lead the favorite festival!

Favoriten, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland - A fresh wind blows over the favorite festival! From 2026, Jonas Leifert and Rika Sakalak will take over the artistic direction of the renowned festival. The two were able to prevail in an open application process and have an abundance of experience and commitment. Leifert is well networked as a curator and cultural manager in the Ruhr area, while Sakalak will deliver fresh input with her work as a dramaturge and diversity manager. Both are deeply rooted in the free scene of North Rhine-Westphalia and are committed to diversity and fair production conditions. Favoriten-Festival&catid=126"> Night criticism reports that the festival, which was founded in 1985, was the oldest free scene Festival in Germany applies and takes place every two years.

The next edition will again offer an exciting program in which theater, dance and performance combine in an innovative way. A colorful mix becomes visible in the contribution list: from "Dunkeldorf - a city game" to "interdependence" to "Hacker on Estradiol". Silviu Guiman, the managing director of the festival, took over the management of the artistic process. He also plans exciting symposia and interactive formats that actively involve the audience.

look at the free scene

NRW not only shines through his theater density, but also through the liveliness of the free scene. With a total of 18 municipal and 4 state theaters, the state has the largest theater density in Germany. At the same time, numerous private venues and free theater houses support creativity in the region. As mkw.nrw since 2018, the state government has increased the financial resources for the free scene from 8 million to 12.5 million euros, which significantly promotes the animation of innovative projects.

This development is also evident in the Favoriten Festival, which has now become a figurehead of the free scene in North Rhine-Westphalia. It offers a platform for new, experimental forms of performing art that enables a dialogue between artists and the audience. It is also particularly gratifying that more and more children's and youth theater find their place in this context and therefore numerous festivals are organized for young talents and their audiences.

The Favorite Festival will continue to set creative accents, and the new artistic leaders are also determined to further promote the spiritual wealth and diversity of the free scene in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the upcoming season, you will ensure that the new approaches to the theater -political landscape are also included in your programs.

The anticipation for the upcoming festival is increasing and the organizers will present numerous innovations and highlights. It will be interesting to see what Leifert and Sakalak will do!