Insights into the expert lab: Democracy education through theatre - an inspiring week with TheatreFragile

This week, we had the opportunity to work for TheatreFragile in the Expert Lab for Performing Arts at the Federal Academy for Cultural Education. As part of the KuBiDemo project, which explores the link between cultural education and democracy education, the focus was on exchange - and it was a profound, enriching experience.
Together with an interdisciplinary team, we reflected intensively on the role of cultural education in a democratic society. The aim was to develop innovative mediation models that use the potential of theatre and other artistic practices to promote democratic values. Marianne Cornil was able to share valuable experiences with Leyla Ercan, René*e Reith and Elisa Moser.

The discussions were inspiring and opened up new perspectives on how we can use theatre work as a powerful tool to support democratic processes.
The creative collaboration in the expert lab was not only an intellectual challenge, but also a personal enrichment. In an intensive process, we discussed how art can help to create spaces for democratic dialogue and which impulses are necessary to spread such processes.
KuBiDemo, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is led by Dr Katja Drews and Kyra Börnemeier. The aim of the project is to test the developed models in practice by 2025 and thus provide multipliers with tools to combine cultural education and democracy work. The idea that our results will soon be tested in practice and could actually make a difference is incredibly motivating.
Working at the Federal Academy has shown us once again how important interdisciplinary collaboration and open dialogue between experts is. Everyone brings their own perspectives and experiences that can lead to new, creative solutions together. It is a wonderful experience to be part of this process.