NMTS 2026 turns Duisburg's Inner Harbour into an Open Stage
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NMTS 2026: When the Inner Harbour becomes an Open Stage
On October 3 and 4, 2026, the Duisburg Inner Harbour transforms into an atmospheric stage for new music, performance, and interdisciplinary theatre. The finale of New Music Theatre Scenarios combines sound art, improvisation, movement, and social reflection into an open stage experience in the open air.
Melting Dub: Sound between Ecstasy and Memory
On Saturday, NMTS – Vol. 4: Melting Dub takes center stage. Dub, improvisation, and the history of migration in the Ruhr area merge into a collective musical experience. Deep basses, electronic textures, and instrumental accompaniment meet a performative dramaturgy that understands the garden of memory as a vibrant resonance space.
The program begins in the afternoon with sound healing by Ina Hoff and Rajesh Mehta, vinyl sets with instrumental accompaniment, and a concert by Fraylo and Stella Brown. At 7 PM, the actual new music theatre scenario follows before the evening concludes with more vinyl sets. The acoustics of the open-air venue, the historical surroundings, and the changing light of the inner harbour shape the theatre atmosphere.
Ditch of Memory: The Finale as a Polyphonic Search
On Sunday, NMTS – Vol. 5: Ditch of Memory continues the artistic journey. The central question is: What lies beneath us, within us, and in front of us? About a dozen artists engage with memory, forgetting, and collective perception. The staging arises from improvisational encounters and connects new music, acting, performance, and installational stage art.
The opening features the interactive sound installation How You Call Out, which creates a polyphonic forest of democracy. In the evening, a concert follows before the concluding music-theatre scenario begins at 8 PM. The dramaturgy remains open to spontaneous impulses: voices, sounds, bodies, and spaces intertwine and make the creation process itself an artistic event.
A Special Venue in Duisburg's Inner Harbour
The garden of memory is situated between historical city fortifications, former wooden harbours, marinas, and the Cultural and City History Museum. The ensemble designed by Israeli sculptor Dani Karavan connects industrial traces with abstract forms, creating a stage design that does not require a backdrop. Foundations, steps, water, and open spaces become partners in direction.
NMTS uses this place as a cultural memory space. The performances respond to architecture, history, and urban present. This results in a theatre form that is not restricted to an audience space: the audience moves conceptually and spatially through a landscape of sound, light, voices, and social images.
A Collective Project of the Free Scene
New Music Theatre Scenarios is designed as a multi-act collectively improvising journey through the Ruhr area. Artists from music, performance, and theatre develop new forms at different locations, incorporating the respective history of the venue into their work. The Duisburg finale consolidates this artistic exploration in two independent scenarios.
The participating artists come from fields including experimental music, sound art, improvisation, and performance. Among them are Cureen Bass, Fraylo, Ina Hoff, Ital V, La Violinista, Lisa Groeger, Max Wehner, PiyaZawa, Rajesh Mehta, Stefanie Haslacher, Stella Brown, Tim Kesseler, and Vera Hagemann.
Conclusion: Theatre as an Open Process
NMTS 2026 invites you to an unusual stage experience: freely accessible, cross-genre, and closely connected to Duisburg's Inner Harbour. For those who want to experience new music, experimental theatre, sound installation, and performative art in an open atmosphere, this finale is full of surprises, resonances, and intense audience reactions.
Admission is free. Experience the new music theatre scenarios live and discover how a unique theatre evening emerges from place, sound, and movement.
Official Channels of NMTS:
- Website: https://nmts.ruhr/
- Instagram: no official profile found
- Facebook: no official profile found
- YouTube: no official profile found
