News
Cooperation
Arnold- Freymuth- Gesamtschule and HELIOS Theater
In January 2025, Mr. Schiffer and Ms. Paals-Gotthal from Arnold Freymuth Comprehensive School signed a cooperation agreement with theater teacher Christina Stöcker from HELIOS Theater. This partnership aims to deepen the collaboration between the school and the theater and create exciting opportunities for the students.
A central component of the collaboration is regular attendance at theater performances that are not only entertaining, but also thought-provoking and address social issues. These experiences promote an understanding of theater as well as empathy and critical thinking. In addition, a member of staff from the Helios Theater will come to the school once a year to provide insights into current plays and events.
This cooperation is a sign of the importance of cultural education and strengthens the link between school and the arts. It offers pupils the chance to develop their creative talents and actively engage with the world. Overall, the partnership with the Helios Theater promises to be an enriching and inspiring collaboration for the cultural life of the students.
PREMIERE - you and me
a play for people aged 2 and over
who am I, who are you ?
why do I have to laugh when you laugh,
I am sad when you are sad
and am happiest together with you ?
A play with 2 people and 9 sound heads, with few words and singing, about the perception of others, outside our own little ego world.
The premiere will take place on Sunday, March 30, 2025 at 4 pm.
Further information and dates can be found here.
hellwach 2025
11th international theater festival for young audiences
This year marks the start of the latest edition of hellwach!
From May 17 - 25, 2025, the HELIOS Theater invites productions for young audiences from all over the world to Hamm and the surrounding area. Every two years, the international theater festival for young audiences is organized together with various cities in the Hellweg region. This year's program follows the idea of a theater for all. People from the age of 2, their adult companions, young people, adults, parents, grandparents, teachers - everyone should feel addressed. For over 20 years, the festival has offered the opportunity to experience theater from all over the world for children and young people and creates space for encounters and exchange.
Theaters from France, Belgium, Mexico, Ukraine, Senegal, Rwanda and Germany will be guests with exciting productions for young and old.
We are looking forward to a varied program with great encounters with our audience and guests.
Further information about hellwach is availablehere
Talking About Silence
A co-production with the Ishyo Arts Center, Kigali / Rwanda
"Talking About Silence" the co-production of the HELIOS Theater with the Ishyo Art Center from Rwanda/Kigali is nominated for AUGENBLICK MAL! 2025
Every two years, the Children's and Youth Theater Center Germany invites for to the most important theater festival for young audiences, AUGENBLICK MAL! in Berlin for 10 days.
A selection jury chooses the 10 most remarkable works from two years. A total of 233 productions for young audiences were nominated for the AUGENBLICK MAL! festival. We are very pleased that “Talking about silence” will be shown in Berlin from May 6-11, 2025.
Film documentation – Talking About Silence
“Talking about silence” , a co-production between the HELIOS Theater from Germany/Hamm and the Ishyo Art Center from Rwanda/Kigali, is already the second joint work. In 2016, “our house” was created, with this production the German-Rwandan ensemble traveled to South Africa for the ASSITEJ International World Congress 2017 and managed to come together again and again for performances and tours over 2 years.
In 2023, work began on a new production, this time about “silence” - in families, in neighborhoods, in society. In both countries, Rwanda and Germany, the topic is of great importance due to their specific pasts. Talking about it seemed essential to everyone involved.
A film documentary has now been made about the project, in which the participants talk about the working process and excerpts from the production can be seen, as well as snapshots with the audience in Rwanda.
The documentary can be found here for all interested.
Enjoy!
More information about the entire play can be found here.
SAG WAS
“Sag was” is the working title of another mosaic piece of the large overall project about silence.
As it is not possible to perform “Talking About Silence” regularly and repeatedly together with the large German-Rwandan ensemble, both ensembles are also developing their own version of the play.
Starting in March, players from the HELIOS ensemble will tell stories about silence and the courage to speak up.
The play will be performed in German.
“Sag was” will be performed at the HELIOS Theater on the following dates
Tuesday, December 03, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 04, 2024 at 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, December 05, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Cooperation
In 2024, we enabled the creation of theater productions outside the HELIOS repertoire with 2 artistic collaborations. You can find out more about these collaborations “Zaki” by Isra el Ghazali from Egypt and “fitting in or not at all” by the MÜN collective here
Valeria Frabetti Award 2023 for the Helios Theater!
A great honour, on the 26th October 2023 we received the „Premio Valeria Frabetti“ for our artistic work and engagement in theatre for the youngest!
Read the complete laudatory speech here.
Good news!
The friend's association of Helios establishes a fund to help KiTas and schools visiting the theatre
Travelling by public transport in Hamm is free of charge for everyone under 18 since reently. A good step to foster mobility within the town. This also makes it easier for classes and KiTas from remote districts to visit the theatre. Nevertheless, we do know that sometimes also the entrance fee might be an obstacle. Therefore, the friend's association of Helios Theatre has decided to set up a fund that will allow to bear the costs for those groups wanting to visit the theatre, but having trouble in paying the fee. Please ask us for further information!
Helios Theatre wants to thank the friend's association for their ongoing and supportive dedication!
Hellwach 2023
,,Hellwach‘‘, the international Theatre festival for young audiences took place in the Hellweg region from May 20th-28th in 2023. This year, the Festival’s center and organizing city Hamm worked together with Kamen, Bergkamen, Lünen, Ahlen and Lippstadt.
Each city planned to provide a gathering place for artists from all over the world and the young people, with whom they’ll share their latest, experimental and innovative works. Most of those plays did their debut here and have never been seen in Germany before. On top of that, speeches and discussions enabled the exchange of thoughts and impressions on each side; the viewers and performers.
The program for hellwach 2023 is available! here!
International Exchange
MAPPING - A Big International Research Project!
Since 2006, HELIOS Theater has been an active partner in the EU-funded „small size“ projects. The projects were dedicated to the international exchange about and development of performing art for audiences aged 0 to 6.
In 2018, the European Union accepted a new project: 19 theatres and festivals from 17 different countries are part of "MAPPING". The focus is set on artistic exchange and scientific research about several theatrical means of expression in the theatre for the very young. We are thrilled to be a part of this project! You can find more information about "MAPPING" and our work for the very young here and on the project's website www.mapping-project.eu.
Intensive Exchange with Artists in India, Nigeria and South Africa
The special approach in the theatre for the very young that director Barbara Kölling and puppeteer Michael Lurse have developed since 2005 has received a lot of interest around the world. In 2015, Barbara Kölling started giving international mentoring workshops for professional artists about the theatre for the very young with materials.
Theatre makers from India, South Africa and Nigeria have initiated intensive mentoring programmes, such as Magnet Theatre (Cape Town) and Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust (India). From these programmes, about 20 theatre pieces for children aged 2+ have evolved. They are artistically dealing with materials like paper, clay, wool, stones, wood and plastic in a wide variety of ways. The performances are playing in their respective cities, are invited to festivals and tour internationally. For the HELIOS Theater, these workshops mean an intensive and fruitful exchange with theatre artists from India and African countries and their artistic approaches. You can read more about the mentoring projects here.
Publications
Book: "About the Work of HELIOS Theater"
To the 25th anniversary of the founding of HELIOS Theaters, a book on the history and work of the company was published in 2014. The book is a collection of thoughts by current and former members of the ensemble photos and interviews, thoughts on the concept, detailed examinations of the productions for the Very Young. Publisher is "Kunststiftung NRW", an important foundation for the arts in Northrhine Westfalia, which celebtrated its 25th anniversary in the same year. The book can be ordered in the theatre office of HELIOS Theater.
Film: „Woolgathering“
The short documentary follows the ensemble of HELIOS Theater in its research on the material wool. It develops its own, videographic view on the material. The focus is not on the making of the production, but rather on the relation between material, artists and audience. In the making of the production "Follow the Yarn" for everybody 2+, the HELIOS ensemble was accompanied by two young film makers of Ruhruniversität Bochum: Stoyan Radoslavov and Damian W. Gorczany.
You can order the film in the theatre office.
Awards
Theatre Award of the Federal Republic
In 2019, HELIOS Theater has received the Theatre Award of the Federal Republic of Germany. The jury installed by the federal cultural minister Monika Grütters pays tribute to eleven small and medium-sized theatres throughout Germany for outstanding activities, both in their artistic programme and in their local, regional and international cultural projects. We are very proud and happy about this important award!