CARL ZUCKMAYER SCHOLARSHIP

+++Call for Applications+++

CARL ZUCKMAYER SCHOLARSHIP

to promote contemporary European drama and the memory of the political German playwright Carl
Zuckmayer.

The scholarship is addressed to playwrights living in Europe who have already written at least one
theatre play that has been awarded or staged already. The working scholarship is intended to enable
them to write a play on a socially relevant, European topic with financial security. A jury of five decides
on the award of the scholarship.

The resulting works should be in the tradition of Zuckmayer's cosmopolitan spirit and shed new light
on his thematic fields such as homeland, exile, resistance and the genre of the critical folk play in a
European present.

The Staatstheater Mainz, which frequently collaborates with playwrights for world premieres, will
organise the tendering process and accompany the playwrights in their development.
The theatre festival PLUG&PLAY at the Staatstheater Mainz, with its focus on young directors, sees
itself as a lively working forum, meeting place and open space for exchange about contemporary
theatre. It thus provides the ideal setting for the annual public awarding of the scholarship as well as
a reading of the previous year's play within the festival programme. The awarding of the Carl
Zuckmayer Scholarship will take place on 14 May 2026 at the opening of the PLUG&PLAY Festival.

The CARL ZUCKMAYER SCHOLARSHIP

includes:

-10,000 EURO grant

-Supervision by the dramaturgy of the Staatstheater Mainz

- Coverage of travel and accommodation costs for a maximum of three stays in Mainz (by
arrangement)

-Option of the world premiere of the play at the Staatstheater Mainz.

Deliverables:

-During the scholarship year (May 2026-May 2027), a new play must be written exclusively (no
adaptation of a novel, film or similar).

-The play should deal with Zuckmayer's thematic areas (keywords: Europe, homeland, exile,
resistance).

-Obligation to be present in Mainz at the official awarding of the scholarship on 14 May 2026 and at
the staged reading of the finished play at the PLUG&PLAY Festival 2027.
Application papers:

- concept (2-3 pages) about the play to be written (in German or English)

- current curriculum vitae with contact details

- complete text of a play already published and performed by the applicant with proof (review or
similar)
+++Please note that an English translation must be submitted if the play is not available in German.
The jury can only evaluate applications that are available in these two languages.+++

- all submissions must be sent exclusively by e-mail in German or English to: kgreuel@staatstheater-
mainz.de

Playwrights/authors who are already in working contact with the Staatstheater Mainz are excluded
from applying.

+++ Application deadline: 1 December 2025 +++

THE JURY

Michael Au comes from the region Westerwald and studied German studies and social sciences at the
University of Siegen. After a journalistic traineeship at the newspaper Rhein-Zeitung (Coblence) and
years as an editor, he moved to the Rhineland-Palatinate state service. He was press spokesman in
various ministries. For several years, he has headed the department for theatre and literature
promotion in the Ministry for Family, Women, Culture and Integration where he is deputy head of the
culture department. He is a member of the supervisory board of Staatstheater Mainz Ltd. and the
board of the Deutscher Bühnenverein, Landesverband Mitte. Together with SWR journalist Alexander
Wasner, he publishes the reading book series Gegend Entwürfe (“area drafts”) with texts by Rhineland-
Palatinate authors. Michael Au regularly moderates readings and literary events. He also occasionally
reviews new publications.

Ann-Marie Arioli was born in Bern and studied German studies, Philosophy and Economic History in
Zürich and Vienna, and later Cultural Management in Winterthur. She then worked as an assistant
director, co-director, and dramaturge in the independent theater scene, from 1993 to 2000 with Ruedi
Häusermann at Theater Neumarkt, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz
Berlin, and Schauspielhaus Wien, among others. From 1999-2003, she was dramaturge at Luzern
theatre and from 2004-2014, she curated the theatre biennial NEW PLAYS FROM EUROPE at
Staatstheater Wiesbaden. From 2005-2010, she was chief dramaturge for drama and opera as well as
deputy artistic director at Theater Aachen. From 2010 to 2017, she was co- director, operations
manager and dramaturge at Theater Chur. From 2015 to 2022, she was artistic director at
“Dramenprozessor – Werkstatt für szenisches Schreiben” (Workshop for Scenic Writing), and from
2017 to 2019, she was co-artistic director and commercial manager at Miller’s in Zurich. She worked
as a dramaturge and member of the theater management at Theater Kanton Zürich from 2019 to 2024.
Since 2024, she has been the artistic director of Bühne Aarau.

Eva-Maria Magel is head of the culture section of the Rhein-Main-Zeitung, part of the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung (F.A.Z.). There she writes mainly about theater, dance, performances, film, and arts
for young audiences. She is also involved in reviewing children's and young adult literature. She first
studied German Studies and Romance philology in Regensburg, then in Paris, where she obtained a
„Licence Études franco-allemandes“. This was followed by study visits in Italy and formative years at
the University of Konstanz, where she graduated with a thesis on Mme de Staël. In 1999/2000, she
completed an internship at the F.A.Z., after which she joined the culture department of the newspaper
Rhein-Main-Zeitung. She serves on juries for performing arts and youth literature, co-curated the
“Augenblick Mal!” festival for theatre for young audiences in 2019, and collaborates on European
university projects. In 2021, she was awarded the Bernd Mand Prize for Cultural Journalism by Assitej
(International Association of Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People).

Mark Reisig studied American Studies and German Language and Literature at Johannes Gutenberg
University Mainz in 2008. During this time, he worked with independent theatre groups and directed
his first plays. In 2013, he transferred to the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt
(Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts), where he studied directing and graduated in 2017.
During his studies, he received a scholarship from the German National Academic Foundation. Since
then, he has regularly directed plays at the Staatstheater Mainz, including Philoktet, Herzerlfresser,
Eine Sommernacht, Indien, Shakespeare in Love and Planet B. Philoktet earned him an invitation to the
“Körber Studio Junge Regie” (Hamburg). His work brought him to other theatres, including the
Staatstheater Darmstadt and the Staatstheater Saarbrücken. His work focuses on political topics and
comedies. In the season 2025/26, he will direct an autobiographical play entitled Ziemlich letzte
Freunde. Mark Reisig also works as a lecturer for acting.

Katrin Schmitz studied Theatre Studies and Comparative Literature at Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz (JGU) and at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. She worked as an assistant director at Theater
Aachen from 2005 and regularly at the NEW PLAYS FROM EUROPE festival in Wiesbaden since 2006.
After completing her master degree, she joined the Stückemarkt festival of the Berlin Festspiele as an
assistant in 2012. From 2015 to 2017, she was a dramaturge at the Staatstheater Braunschweig. There,
she worked with Babett Grube and Juliane Kann among others and organised Welcome Dinners for
people with and without a history of flight. From 2017 to 2024, she was dramaturge at the
Staatsschauspiel Dresden. She was responsible for world premieres by Caren Jeß, Jaroslav Rudiš and
Chris Kraus and worked with Jaz Woodcock-Stewart, Laura Linnenbaum, Mina Salehpour, Simon
Werdelis and Nicolai Sykosch. Since 2024, she has been living with her family in Mainz, teaching at JGU
Mainz and working as a dramaturge at the Staatstheater Mainz.