OUTNOW! 2021
A cooperation of Schwankhalle and Theater Bremen
The International Performing Arts Festival OUTNOW! will take place digitally this year
From May 21 to 24, 2021, artists will bring art and life to the digital stages of the Schwankhalle and Theater Bremen with acts involving dance, performance, theater, workshops, and music theater. The festival founded in 1994 at the Schwankhalle has been taking place biannually at the two venues since 2013. OUTNOW! presents artists, groups and collectives from throughout Europe who have just set off on their professional careers. Individual artists, directors, groups, and collectives who have been producing their own works for not much longer than three years were invited to submit their current productions to the OUTNOW! Festival 2021. From the 165 submissions, the festival jury selected 11 artists, collectives and groups who will now present their works online in the frame of the festival.
OUTNOW! is a snapshot showing what moves young artists today. In a year that is entirely different than anything we have known before, OUTNOW! has also taken on a new form. This time, the space shared by the Schwankhalle and Theater Bremen is a digital one, with both venues meeting on the virtual stage. It may look and feel different, but it is a stage—and there’s a lot to discover on it! Even in its digital form, OUTNOW! continues to be a showcase and networking platform for artists launching their professional careers—with live streams, video recordings and participatory formats. In 2021 the festival will again be accompanied by up-and-coming journalists in the OUTNOW! festival blog.
The invited works show unsparing humor, combine pop culture with birdcalls and create feminist empowerment in the face of violent realities. They encourage us to raise our voice and with many voices excuse themselves for those who simply don’t want to do so. They conjure theater in a video conference room, create digital landscapes and prove maximum endurance with minimal movement. They queer class and pop culture and whet our appetite for a disco for everybody, beyond heteronormative tenseness.
We cordially thank all artists, supporters, bloggers, helpers, and the teams of both venues and wish everyone great festival days!