27–29 March
GERMANY
TRUST Symposium at
Schauspiel Köln
Hosted and organised by Schauspiel Köln, the first TRUST Working Symposium brings together journalists,
theatre makers, and researchers for three days of exchange, reflection, and collaboration in Cologne,
Germany, from 27-28 March 2026.
Rather than starting from a fixed definition, the symposium opens up a process: how can journalistic
research and theatrical practice inform one another, and what new forms might emerge from this
encounter?
Across discussions, presentations, and shared experiences, project partners will collectively test ideas
and outline possible directions for the work ahead.
Below you can find the full programme.
Programme
Friday, 27 March
13:00 - Lunch
14:00 - Welcome
14:15 - Keynote & Q&A (50 min) - Can Dündar
BREAK
15:15 - Investigative, Independent Journalism and the Present Day (20 min) - David Schraven
15:45 - Presentation 1: Who We Are and What We Have Done
BREAK
17:00 - Get Together: Thematic Discussions
- Journalists: Environmental Issues
Moderation: Elisa Schüler - Dramaturgs: Justice
Moderation: Traudl Bünger - Directors: Shift to the Right
Moderation: Alexander Kerlin
17:00–18:00 - Executive Board Meeting
17:30 - Presentation 2: Our Country, Our City, Our Topics
18:45 - Dinner
19:30 - Performance Visit: “ V13 – The Paris Terror Attacks ” followed by get-together & drinks
Saturday, 28 March
10:00 - Reflection on the Performance
“V13 – The Paris Terror Attacks” (30 min)
10:30 - Journalistic Craft: Genres, Ethics and Law (25 min)
Sarah Brasack (Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger)
Followed by discussion
BREAK
11:45 - Between Reality and Fiction
- Impulse Talk: “The Mousetrap” (15 min)
Alexander Kerlin - Panel Discussion: Reality and Fiction on Stage (45 min)
Calle Fuhr, Anne-Kathrin Schulz, Jean Peters
Moderation: Alexander Kerlin - Breakout Discussions (45 min)
Journalists, directors, and dramaturgs in three groups
Led by Jean Peters, Calle Fuhr, Anne-Kathrin Schulz
13:30 - Lunch
BREAK
15:00 - What’s Up?
Exchange on current projects, materials, forms, teams, and collaborations
BREAK
17:00 - The History of Documentary Theater: From Karl Kraus to the Present Day (50 min)
Hans-Werner Krösinger (Q&A)
18:00 - Dinner
19:30 - Performance Visit
“The Rise and Fall of René Benko”
21:30 - Optional: Drinks in the City
Sunday, 29 March
10:00 - Reflection on the Performance
“The Rise and Fall of René Benko”
10:30 - Theatre and Journalism – Towards a Manifesto
BREAK
12:00 - What’s Next?
13:00 - Lunch
