Ballhaus Ost cooperates with many artists, accompanies them in the application process, announces the plays in the program and organizes the performances. There is no artistic ensemble (see team) and no program budget. The artists produce their works with independently acquired funding and in their own administrative and artistic structures. For new collaborations, project proposals are welcome to be emailed, please at least six weeks prior to a submission deadline. It is helpful if the request includes information about the proposed project, the people involved, funding, and, if applicable, previous work and a time window for possible performances. We support it when artists collaborate with different venues in Berlin, but wish for transparent communication. The program directors Anne Brammen, Ozi Ozar and Daniel Schrader select the projects according to their interests as curators and viewers. Among other things, themes, aesthetics, play styles and spatial concepts play a role. They meet regularly for program meetings, review new requests, and get back to each other with questions or a proposed date for getting to know each other. In regular info zooms, Ozi Ozar, Anne Brammen, and Daniel Schrader present Ballhaus Ost and opportunities for cooperation with regard to upcoming application deadlines. The next session is on Mon., 4.5.2026, 12:00–1:00p.m. Please register by 30.4.2026 at info@ballhausost.de.

We cordially invite you to our QUEER ARE THE PEOPLE DEMO fundraiser. Ballhaus Ost will be transformed into a cinema and will show queer films. And as with any good movie night, there will not only be drinks and fresh popcorn, but also the cutest queer audience in town. Come by, get to know the organizing projects, connect with each other and with us. P R O G R A M Nicky Miller »Pink Lips«Nicky Miller »Twisted Distinction«Diashi, Carlos Marin »The Darkroom Confessions«Lasse Långström »Robert Frank«Silicone Pussy » You’re not a Regular: A Porn made for Almans« break Harvey Rabbit »Slowdance«Lasse Långström »The Lesbian Alien Darkroom Fisting Operetta in Venus«ONCE WE WERE ISLANDS »Cecól Cor Nan«ONCE WE WERE ISLANDS »Siart Cessoi«Ar Gogo a.k.a Óscar González »osai, sinárra, ioidar«Ethan Allison Folk »Soup Frog« break Quentin Worthington »Memorias Reveladas«Adrien Clanché »LE Feu s’allume«Marie Kühn »Sorbet auf Trümmern«Merle Zurawski »Happy ever after« Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going to support the demo.

Queer Neighbourhood Asc. Pankow SAVE THE DATE: AUGUST 31 The time has come to connect, to stand together and to celebrate the power of our community. Against the global rise of queerphobia and the recent attacks on Tipsy Bear, we call for queer visibility on the streets of Prenzlauer Berg, connecting the queer scene, artistic institutions and allies of the neighbourhood. This coming together is a response to fascist assaults on our spaces and diminishing administrative support and solidarity. This Assembly is being organized by numerous queer projects who collectively form the »Queer Neighborhood Association Pankow« with the aim to affirm the presence of the queer community and the queer focused projects in Pankow & Berlin, and stand against rising hostility. With the support of Tipsy Bear, Ballhaus Ost, Tuntenhaus, Brunnenstr. 6/7 & Volksbühne , we invite you to a demonstration day full of music, performances, speeches and queer solidarity. 13:00 Gathering in front of VolksbühneTravelling to Brunnenstr. 6/7 & Tuntenhaus19:00 Arrival at 7pm in front of Tipsy Bear with show and after party

A cultural policy encounter salon in two parts At the latest since the first sudden and drastic cultural funding cuts announced by the Berlin Senate for 2025, the financial situation of funding for the Berlin performing arts has become increasingly unclear. The volatile negotiations surrounding the 2026/27 double budget have added to the general uncertainty, and the discontinuation of several funding programs at the federal level has hit the Berlin scene particularly hard, as it has traditionally benefited strongly from federal funding. 4:00–6:00 pm: Impulses on the current situationIn the cultural policy encounter salon, numerous stakeholders from the scene, associations, politics, and public administration will have their say. Among others, we are pleased to welcome contributions from Cilgia Gadola and Paul Hess of the BFDK – Federal Association of Independent Performing Arts, from the Dance Association, and from the Performing Arts Fund on the consequences of the federal budget. Anne Schneider will present the current petition against the federal cuts. Marie Henrion from Tanzbüro Berlin, Dagmar Domrös on behalf of the Working Group of Children’s and Youth Theatres, Luise Würth from FAIRSTAGE, Daniel Brunet from the Coalition of the Independent Scene and LAFT Berlin, and Jannik Rodenwaldt from the GDBA will report from their respective fields of work.The participation process for a Berlin Cultural Funding Act will be presented by Sarah Stührenberg, and Philipp Harpain will issue a call to action for the BerlinIstKultur campaign. Moderation and timekeeping will be handled by Janina Benduski from LAFT Berlin.Together, we aim to discuss key questions regarding working conditions, funding, and cultural policy perspectives, and to consider possible next steps. 6:00–7:00 pm: Table conversations over a shared mealA communal meal offers everyone present ample opportunities for follow-up questions, exchange, and encounters. From 7:00 pm: Open discussion with speakers and audienceTogether, we will summarize the current state of affairs and, along with our observers Arne Vogelsang and Theresa Schütz, look for solutions and possible courses of action. An open discussion format invites both the speakers and visitors to take part. The bar will be open, and moderation will be by Alisa Tretau. FAIRSTAGE advocates for discrimination-free and fair working conditions for all permanent and freelance employees at publicly funded Berlin theatres. The goal is to pool expertise and take a targeted stand for a fairer Berlin performing arts sector. FAIRSTAGE runs various programs, including participatory formats, an annual conference, recommendation papers, and publications. In practice, diversity-sensitive work at FAIRSTAGE also means calling for and supporting continuing education, qualification, and exchange opportunities for institutions, while strengthening marginalized stakeholders in these contexts.

How can we best explain to politicians what the Independent Scene does and how Berlin benefits from it? That’s where you come in—on the ground, in your local constituencies. Under the banner »Independent Scene Meets Politics«, we are inviting practitioners from the Independent Performing Arts to meet their candidates for the Berlin House of Representatives in the coming months.To prepare for these conversations, we will support one another—together with external experts—through a »bootcamp« focused on developing persuasive arguments. In a compact three-hour session, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., we will learn how to pitch our own work to politicians, take part in live conversation simulations, and jointly identify which representatives are responsible for your respective constituencies. No prior knowledge is required. With: Eva-Maria Baumeister, Nina Weber, Jens Eike Krüger, Nicola Schubert, Robert Oschatz Registration: Please register by 26 January 2026 with the subject line »Bootcamp« at anmeldung@fairstage.berlin.

Theater, but different: the venue tour allows you to explore the history and architecture of the independent scene, get to know the people who shape it personally, and watch rehearsal excerpts. Berlin theater maker, author, and curator Aurora Kellermann guides visitors through the venues and introduces her colleagues. In Prenzlauer Berg, the tour visits the RambaZamba Theater, DOCK 11 / DOCK ART, and Ballhaus Ost. The venue tour was developed in collaboration with StattReisen Berlin. For more information, visit Theaterscoutings Berlin.

In a discourse program at the SYMPOSIUM, artistic-digital work by renowned artists such as Lundahl & Seitl and Paula Strunden will be presented in order to address current discourses and questions on art and digitality in addition to artistic-technical experiments.
 
Program:

11:00 Symposium (presentation and discussion)
14:00 Lunch break
15:30 Presentation of the VIRTUAL BLACKBOX
16:40 – meet & greet

As part of NO LIMITS – Disability & Performing Arts Festival 2024

The Geheime Dramaturgische Gesellschaft invites you to the table. Art and culture professionals from all areas are invited to find a place at the table and start a conversation over dinner.

We want to talk about inclusive art and inclusive work: How can collaborative artistic work succeed? At this table, we can exchange ideas about future projects, visions and wishes, but frustration and anger can also be shared and demands made.

The network meeting invites you to find allies, exchange ideas and, above all, network. We will provide culinary refreshments. Drinks are available at the bar.

Participation is free of charge. Please register by October 31, as places are limited. Registration under: cometogether@no-limits-festival.de

ACCESS
Accessible for people with limited mobility and visually impaired people. Low-stimulus retreat available.

As part of NO LIMITS – Disability & Performing Arts Festival 2024

The hall of mirrors of Ballhaus Ost will transform into a space of sparkling encounters and glittering ecstasy. Beginning at 8:00 pm, the doors will open to let you into cozy salon rounds which will allow you to close out the festival in a chill manner with a drink and conversations. You can reinvent your outfit at the Tisch der Endlosen Möglichkeiten, or Table of Endless Possibilities, or try your luck in the Ecke der zahlreichen Wege, or Corner of Many Paths. Anyone who is looking to take a break can do so by finding some repose in the low-stimulus Oase des Schweigens, or Oasis of Silence.
At 8:30 pm: performance »Harmony Within the Noise«
At 10:00 pm: CherrYO!kie karaoke party

ACCESSIBILITY

The ballroom is open from 8pm for party guests. There will be loud music and darkness/lighting effects during the party. A low-noise retreat is available.

Early boarding is possible

The measures planned by the Berlin Senate to consolidate the state budget announce drastic budget cuts for the coming years. The cultural sector, but also related areas such as education, social affairs and science, are particularly affected.

We still do not know at this stage to what extent the budget cuts will affect our specific work at Ballhaus Ost. However, we are very concerned about the Senate’s priorities and the policy of social coldness that they reflect. Concerned about the future of Ballhaus Ost and the many people with their diverse life stories with whom we work. Concerned about the future of Berlin.

There are many people involved in the fight against the Berlin Senate’s short-sighted and socially unjust cost-cutting agenda. We have collected particularly important initiatives and statements whose concerns we support and share in the following (constantly updated) link list:

https://unkuerzbar.de/

https://www.berlinistkultur.de/

https://www.bbk-berlin.de/news/16122024-pressemitteilung-von-berlinistkultur-zu-den-dezentralen-aktionstagen-vom-16-181224

https://diversity-arts-culture.berlin

https://stiftung-kulturelle-weiterbildung-kulturberatung.berlin/

https://www.laft-berlin.de/kulturpolitik/berliner-kulturpolitik-aktuell

https://www.tanzraumberlin.de/kulturpolitik/aktuelles-aus-berlin

https://freieszene.berlin/statement-arbeitsraumprogramm/

https://www.theater-on.de/aktuell/aktuelles-detail/pressemitteilung-arbeitskreis-berliner-kinder-und-jugendtheater-vom-10-dezember-2024/2a58364f630c6d78da47abd8c37aebde

https://schaubude.berlin/de/news/statement-ag-puppen-und-figurentheater/

https://nachtkritik.de/images/stories/pdf/OffeneBriefe/Stellungnahme_Jury_HKF_Kulturkuerzungen.pdf