Musiktheater – ein Ort für die Gesellschaft?

Abstract

This article analyses participatory music theatre formats that reposition opera within the social and spatial fabric of cities. Using the example of the UFO Winterreise 1 project in Duisburg, in which over 200 singers aged between eight and eighty developed their own music theatre works, it shows how intergenerational collaboration both produces new compositional material and strengthens social cohesion. Against this backdrop, the text traces the growing importance of mobile, outreach-oriented and civic-engaged opera formats, from neighbourhood and community operas to rural projects that deliberately extend the sphere of influence of musical theatre into public and, above all, regional spaces. These developments respond to structural exclusion and require expanded educational and artistic skills. In view of the high proportion of so-called non-visitors, the article discusses cultural governance strategies that establish networks between theatres, educational institutions, civil society actors and local authorities. Empirical findings point to the individual and social effects of participatory processes, while at the same time identifying structural challenges. Inclusion-oriented design approaches appear to be a central prerequisite for democratic and sustainable opera practice.