Peacemakers

Peacemakers – Friedensstifter is a musical-documentary production created in collaboration by Das Thema – To téma and the Dresdner Sinfoniker.

What does it mean to search for peace in times of uncertainty? This urgent question lies at the heart of Peacemakers – Friedensstifter, a German-Czech musical-documentary production by the ensemble Das Thema – To téma and the Dresdner Sinfoniker.
Eighty years after the end of a war that left a scorched world and millions of destroyed lives, Europe is once again living in a state of tension. Society is increasingly shaped by polarisation, hatred and racism, while the war in Ukraine poses a direct threat to our present.

In such circumstances, how can peace be imagined, sought, or defended?
Under the artistic direction of Philipp Schenker and Roman Horák, and in collaboration with musicians from the Dresdner Sinfoniker under the musical direction of Markus Rindt, an exceptional interdisciplinary work has been created. Peacemakers – Friedensstifter is a poetic and urgent reflection on the meaning of peace in fragile times.

The production combines physical theatre with live singing, strong musical textures and multimedia. In video fragments, eyewitnesses Michaela Vidláková, Eva Benešová, Ladislav Goral, and Sieglinde and Ivo Vendolsky recount how children from the Jewish, Roma and German minorities experienced the war years in Czechoslovakia.

Their voices are interwoven with the personal experiences of today’s performers and musicians, who continue to confront racism, discrimination and war. In this way, the production creates a dialogue between past and present, oscillating between documentary theatre, poetry and musical ritual, and inviting audiences to reflect on memory, responsibility and the fragile meaning of peace today.

About the company

The Ensemble Das Thema – To téma was founded in Prague in 2018 as the first Czech-German cabaret. Through theatre, music, and documentary forms, its projects consistently address fundamental social and political issues. In Peacemakers – Friedensstifter, the artists focus on the fragility of humanity and the power of understanding, especially at a time when the public sphere is increasingly shaped by mistrust and fear.
Since their first cabaret, Gefühl und Cit, which has been performed regularly at Divadlo Na zábradlí, the ensemble has created a total of ten projects. These include Erika Mann?, Kafka Has Left the Building, Liedfabrik, several film projects in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, and the project Hotel K.
Philipp Schenker and Roman Horák have been involved for many years in major events of German-Czech cooperation, such as the Bürgerfest of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and initiatives as part of the Weimar Triangle project.

The Dresdner Sinfoniker
For over 25 years, the Dresdner Sinfoniker have shaped the contemporary music scene with visionary, formally daring and often politically engaged projects. Known for visually striking concerts, music theatre and multimedia performances, the orchestra collaborates with musicians from leading European ensembles and regularly employs pioneering technologies. Their work has received international recognition, including the UNESCO World Horizon Prize and the ECHO Klassik Award.
Intercultural collaboration and global themes are central to their artistic profile, ranging from projects with Anatolian, Romani and Indian musicians to performances addressing social and political divisions worldwide.
Premiere: 12 November 2025, Divadlo X10

Concept and direction: Philipp Schenker, Roman Horák
Musical direction: Markus Rindt
Performers and Musicians:
Monika Načeva, Pavlína Matiová, Alisa Zichuk, Arman Kupelyan, Andreas Gundlach, Murat Coşkun, Roman Horák, Philipp Schenker
Eyewitnesses:
Michaela Vidláková, Eva Benešová, Ladislav Goral, Sieglinde and Ivo Vendolsky
Stage design: Mathias Straub, Philipp Schenker, Roman Horák
Costumes: Agáta Molčanová
Lighting design: Ondřej Růžička
Video: Vojtěch Polák
Poems: Iryna Zahladko

Support
The Czech-German Future Fund
The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Prague
The Adalbert Stifter Verein – Cultural Institute for the Bohemian Lands

Special Thanks
Živá paměť, RomPraha, Divadlo Na zábradlí, The Jewish Museum Prague,
Šárka Járská, Lada Halounová, Kateřina Kovačková, Renata Pavelková
Hana Machová-Jureczková, Petr Štědroň, Jiří Fajt, Iryna Zahladko