Alliance of International Production Houses

What exactly is the Bündnis internationaler Produktionshäuser (BIHP)?
The Bündnis internationaler Produktionshäuser (BIHP) – sometimes referred to in English as the Alliance of International Production Houses – is a grouping of the seven largest event and production venues for the independent performing arts in Germany. Please note that Germany has a unique theatre landscape that can be somewhat confusing at first: on the one hand there are many publically subsidised state and municipal theatres, while on the other hand there are a large number of so-called independent or “freie” performing arts theatres, venues and stages. The BIPH is an alliance of seven of the latter “freie” venues, each working to promote the independent performing arts and foster national and international co-productions.

What exactly is an “international production house”?
Each of the seven “international production houses” in the BIHP alliance functions as a venue for productions, gatherings and performances organised by members of the independent performing arts community. These venues are the embodiment of a new form of cultural institution that emerged in Germany in the 20th century. Unlike Germany’s publically subsidised theatres, these independent production houses do not have their own dance or theatre ensembles; however, they do develop and realise national and international productions themselves. Among the key priorities of these international production houses is their engagement with diverse urban societies and their efforts to open up new target groups and spaces for participation.

What events, projects and productions do BIHP alliance members collaborate on?
The members of the BIPH alliance collaborate on a number of multi-year artistic projects, joint performances and professional education opportunities. For example, the annual programme series Claiming Common Spaces consists of a series of gatherings focusing on the artistic and professional goals associated with one of the BIPH’s key fields of practice. These meetings take place in a festival-like format at rotating venues in the alliance. The field of practice known as Art and Encounters (“Kunst and Begegnungen”) is one example of the BIPH’s joint fields of practice.

If the individual BIPH production houses don’t have any ensembles of their own, who exactly do they work with?
Each of the production houses in the BIPH alliance works with local and international artists, companies and experts drawn from a variety of fields of expertise. In other words, instead of having a permanent on-site ensemble – which is something many other theatres and dance companies in Germany have – the BIPH production houses maintain close connections to a broad range of artists, companies and collectives all over the world.

Why is the BIPH alliance structured the way it is?
Unlike many other countries, Germany has a relatively small number of “independent production houses”. Most of these venues are active primarily at the local and community levels. In contrast to those relatively small stages, the seven independent production houses that make up the BIPH alliance are comparatively large and firmly networked with partner institutions worldwide with whom they carry out joint productions.

Is it possible for other production houses to join the BIPH?
Yes, it is possible for other production houses to become BIPH alliance members if they fulfil the criteria mentioned above. At the moment, the BIPH alliance is looking into the development of a new international production house in Munich.

How much funding does the BIPH receive?
The BIPH alliance received €4 million annually over the three-year periods from 2016 to 2018 and from 2019 and 2021. In 2023 and 2024, the stronger support promised in the government’s coalition agreement (which described the BIPH as “a driver of innovation in the performing arts”) led to funding of €5 million per year. However, at the moment (February 2025), the alliance lacks secure funding prospects for the future. Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) has promised the alliance a so-called “bridging funding” of €1.8 million for 2025. In order to be able to continue our unique cooperation model in the coming years, the BIHP is going to need a secure, multiple-year funding perspective in addition to the funds covering our 2025 financial costs.

How does the BIPH spend the funding it receives?
Roughly 95% of the funding the BIPH receives flows into joint projects – including artistic productions and collaborations – as well as into professional education programmes. In other words, the funds reach the independent performing arts scene directly. To this end, a large part of the funding is distributed for use by the BIPH alliance members. Each production house receives the same amount of funding, with the exception of the FFT and the tanzhaus NRW, which receive roughly 25% less, as they are both active in Düsseldorf.

To what extent do the projects carried out by the BIPH have a national impact?
The objective of all BIPH projects is to achieve a nationwide impact that fosters the growth and profile of the independent performing arts. The factors we focus on the most are the following: generating quality improvements in the independent performing arts sector, strengthening site-specific collaborations, encouraging the internationalisation of German productions and their international presentation, fostering networking in the realm of knowledge transfer and the integration and participation of diverse population groups.

What partners does the BIPH have at the federal level?
In addition to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), our most important partners are the Auswärtiges Amt (German Foreign Office), the Goethe Institute, the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education), the Deutscher Kulturrat (German Culture Council), the Fonds Darstellende Künste (German Performing Arts Fund), the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation), the Deutsche Bühnenverein (Association of German Theatres and Orchestras) and the Bundesverband freie Darstellende Künste e.V. (Federal Association for the Independent Performing Arts).

Facts & Figures

• The BIPH alliance comprises 7 production houses with a total of 18 venues, 4 of which are located outside the BIPH’s own venues in urban areas
• The BIPH develops an average of 300 in-house productions per year
• The BIPH presents over 200 additional performances at other venues in Germany as well as 340 performances across Europe and 70 worldwide
• The BIPH collaborates with a total of more than 3,000 artists (solo artists, groups, companies)
• The BIPH offers 300 longer-term residencies for artists at our institutions
• The BIPH attracts an average of 450,000 spectators at roughly 3,500 events per year