The German centre of the ITI in co-operation with the Muelheim theatre festival "STUECKE" again had the pleasure to host the International Translator Workshop of German Drama in Muelheim, 12 - 27 May 2007.

The unique festival "Stuecke" presented world premiers of new plays in German. "Stuecke" is one of the major annual meetings of German contemporary dramatic theater. It attracts large audiences, among them many professionals, from all over Germany. The critical response by the press and the media has usually been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. In 1987, "Stuecke" received the World Theatre Day Award of our centre. Muelheim an der Ruhr is an industrial city in the heart of a very active theatre region, it is situated near Essen, Bochum, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, and Wuppertal.

The purpose of the event was to introduce translators of German theatre to contemporary German plays in their first production on the stage and to inspire their translation into other languages in order to promote productions abroad. The practical work on the texts played again play the central role. Held over the course of several days, this phase involved the participation of the authors. The meeting led again to an open and fruitful exchange from which the participants took not only home new experiences, but also new translation projects and some stimulations to perform them abroad.

Discussion events and special workshop sessions designed to familiarise translators with the cultural and political context of the plays and contemporary German theatre in general complemented the main programme. In addition to open discussions following the performances, the translators have also had the chance to meet the authors, members of the festival jury, critics, journalists, cultural administrators, and publishers. In conclusion the translator's meeting offered a unique opportunity for guest translators to exchange experiences with each other and their German colleagues.