Ruhrtriennale 2026 – Additional performances and new programmes!

Due to high demand, the Ruhrtriennale has added two extra performances of Ivo Van Hove’s opening production Rebel Rebel. The performances will take place on 3 and 4 September at the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum. Rebel Rebel tells the story of a young couple who defies isolation and state control in a dystopian society. Music theatre, drama and choreography come together to create a production about love, freedom and resistance.

Also in response to strong demand, an additional performance of the dance programme AS WE ARE by Germaine Acogny & Gregory Maqoma has been added on 17 September at the Gebläsehalle at Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord. At the age of 82, Germaine Acogny is a legendary dancer, teacher and choreographer. In her solo Josephine, she embodies the life of the famous Josephine Baker. Gregory Maqoma responds to this solo with Bantu, a choreography for twelve dancers that also pays tribute to the influences of Germaine Acogny and her École des Sables, where Maqoma himself was a student.

A special event accompanying Krzysztof Warlikowski’s production of EUROPA will take place on 30 August at 2 pm at the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum. Before the performance, Wajdi Mouawad, whose text forms the basis of the production, will present a special performance (tickets available at ruhr3.com/europa). Drawing on his lectures at the Collège de France in Paris, Europa – The shadow that writes reflects on writing as a means of engaging with history, tragedy and violence. Moving between literature, philosophy and personal testimony, he explores what it means to live and create in a Europe shaped by memory and conflict. The performance (in French with German and English surtitles, recommended for ages 18+) lasts 45 minutes. The performance of EUROPA will be postponed by 15 minutes on that day to 3.15 pm.

The Ruhrtriennale audience can gain deeper insight into the themes of Deutscher Herbst on 19 September at 6.30 pm in an expert discussion between Ruth Anderwald and Leonhard Grond. Working in the field of artistic research, they explore, on the one hand, the experience of vertigo and, on the other hand, the artistic resistance to fascism. Taking Christopher Rüping’s Deutscher Herbst as its starting point, the event explores the phenomenon from artistic, philosophical and physiological perspectives.

Further information on the programme and tickets can be found at www.ruhrtriennale.de/en. Detailed information and free images are available at www.ruhrtriennale.de/en/press.

The production Rebel Rebel is funded by Brost-Stiftung.