More than a theatre

"Die Stelzer" is a Theatre on Stilts from Landsberg, Germany. The first theater was founded in 1983 and operates formation since 1994 with the name "The Stelzer". Over the years it developed more than 25 productions of very different character and aesthetic, composed stilt walk, acrobatic skills with impressive music, costumes and lights.


This unique ensemble is composed of approximately twenty actors, performing theatre with acrobatic skill on the smallest stage possible – the stilt. We are based in Germany but we working world wide. "Die Stelzer" as a mobile theatre especially inspire and reach people living in remote areas or on the margins of society. "Die Stelzer" not only carry culture into countries, they also hold workshops in the relevant countries and integrate them in their performances.

Compared to a simple cultural import, in this case an intensive bilateral exchange, the transfer of skills as well as the instruction to acquire an independent, self-contained expression is encouraged. The theatre are headed since 1999 by Wolfgang Hauck. He developed the concept of the Cultural Relief program 2014 in Turkey.

This unique ensemble is composed of approximately twenty actors, performing theatre with acrobatic skill on the smallest stage possible – the stilt. We are based in Germany but we working world wide.

Theatre on Stilts

The idea «theatre on stilts» was actually initiated by the work with the FTM (Free Theatre Munich), founded in 1970 by George Froscher and Kurt Bildstein.

The stilt actor has to conquer his performance-area first. Independent from stage and technology he turns streets and squares into theatre halls.

Therefore this kind of theatre, exposed to the rough conditions of the market-place, is influenced by different elements:

The most essential parts of the text have to be extracted and the content of them caught on to. The audience itself is an integral part of the performance.

So «Theatre on Stilts» is one of the most vivid and direct ways of expressing urban culture.

With actually more than 25 productions of very different character, the Stilt Walkers have marked and developed this genre considerably, since their start in 1983. «Die Stelzer» participate with productions like «walking acts» or big «open-air theatre» on international festivals. Since 2005 they starting with international youth projects for cultural relief.

Wolfgang Hauck and Sonja Ertl trained stilt trainers for all regions in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2018. Since then, stilt courses have been held in all regions of Afghanistan. Girls and women in particular were able to practise this form of expression, as it was "halal". Since the Taliban took power in 2021, this form of stilt training is no longer accessible to girls and women.

Short biography
1983 First foundation of the group
1994 Established as a theatre company
1999 Exploration the professional and international work
Since 2004 open-air-theatre on tour «Discorsi» or «Rheingold»
2005 International Youth Projects Marocco
2011 Open-air-theatre «Licca Line» with 40 youth stiltwalkers
2013 Youth Projects, Kosovo, Austria
2014 Youth Projects, Turkey, Ireland, Kosovo
2017 Production "Arturo Ui" in kooperation with the "theater Wasserburg"
2018 Training courses for theatre, costumes and stilt walkers in Kabul , Afghanistan 2019 Production "Die Nashörner" in kooperation with the "theater Wasserburg"
2022 Establishment of a branch and new ensemble in Venice
2024 Different productions in Venice and Augsburg