ZAPFENSTREICH
Events
In 2021, Angela Merkel ended her term as Federal Chancellor. In her honor, a military ceremony took place, broadcast live by several TV stations. Although the so-called “Zapfenstreich” is a 300-year-old German military tradition, the images of soldiers marching through the night with torches unsettled both German and international audiences. Many associated the spectacle with historical images from the Nazi era. Even though the context today is different, the ceremony sparked a debate: How should the (German) military present itself as an institution in a modern democracy?
This question is addressed by the international collective Boys* in Sync, who recreate the military parade in their own way. Performers and dancers from various European countries treat the military movements as choreography, questioning masculinity, conformity, and power, and combining them with moments of disruption, queerness, and intimacy.
A theatre evening that, through its multiple shifts in perspective on the Zapfenstreich ritual, invites a joyful way of seeing, hearing, and feeling differently – and of taking a position.
MADE.Jury
The production is part of the MADE.Festival 2026. Since 2009, MADE. has presented outstanding productions from the independent performing arts scene in Hesse across multiple cities, always in dialogue with the present. Each edition of MADE. focuses on a central theme; the motto of the 8th festival is: WHO with WHOM
8 selected theatre experiences explore our networks of relationships: WHO has shaped our lives, WHO inspires us and shapes or undermines our society, from WHOM (or WHAT) should we keep our distance, and WHAT (or WHOM) do we want to or should we engage with more closely? Let’s find out together!