Theatre for Young Audiences of the City of Frankfurt/Main

The City of Frankfurt am Main commissioned us in two separate phases to develop and subsequently update the usage and operations concept for the new children’s and youth theatre at the Zoogesellschaftshaus.

The first phase ran from March to December 2020 and focused on developing the original concept. It defined the programme’s thematic direction, developed the financial plan, refined the spatial brief, and laid a key foundation for the subsequent architectural competition. The second phase ran from December 2023 to October 2024 and focused on updating and further developing the concept. This update reflected current inflation rates, changed framework conditions, and content-related developments, thereby preparing the next decision-making step in the city parliament. In 2026, the process was expanded to include an additional commission: we developed proposals for the legal structure of the future children’s and youth theatre, thus laying the foundations for the venue’s future organisational framework.

To incorporate a range of perspectives, we conducted interviews and focus groups with stakeholders from the independent scene, young people, politics, public administration, Frankfurt Zoo, and other experts. We analysed existing documents and decisions, and produced a comparative analysis of budgets from other children’s and youth theatres as the basis for the financial plan. We also worked collaboratively on shaping and aligning the concept through regular meetings with the core team and additional stakeholders.

The result is a coherent usage and operations concept that clearly describes the profile, needs, and structures of the future children’s and youth theatre. This provides the foundation for the next steps towards realising a venue that integrates the independent scene, carries relevance beyond the region, and is financially sustainable.