A European Festival

The first-ever FEATS festival took place in Rotterdam in 1978, developing via the Benelux countries into an annual celebration of English-language theatre, now with participating groups from the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Spain and Sweden. Each of the twelve groups performs a play in one act that conforms to the FEATS rules, with each performane assessed by a juror invited from the Guild of Drama Adjudicators in the UK. Prizes are awarded on the last evening of the festival -  the winners are invited to perform at the British All-Winners Festival in the UK.

Theatre Life

Apart from mainstage performances on the four evenings of the festival, there is an organised FEATS Fringe programme each afternoon that offers the opportunity to those not involved in the main competition to perform for their peers and showcase their ideas and talents, or attend workshops covering various aspects of theatre.

Cultural Exchange across Europe

Although competitive, the festival's focus is on the creative and cultural aspects of theatre and the common bond this establishes between different countries and nationalities. The atmosphere is one of friendly rivalry, with long-standing friendships and contacts forged across Europe.

For many, FEATS is an annual 'must attend' in their diaries – to enjoy four days of theatre and meet up with friends. FEATS winners are often selected to participate in other European theatre festivals: The Hamburg Players were invited to open the Landjuweelfestival in Ghent with their winning FEATS 2024 performance, and the Belgian group de Waanzin (Ghent Cultural Laureates) performed their FEATS piece at the Monaco World Festival of Theatre/Mondial du Théâtre 2021.

Hosting FeATS

As a non-profit making association ('eingetragener Verein'), members of The Hamburg Players  work solely on a voluntary basis to produce our theatrical contribution to the Hamburg cultural scene – three mainstage productions a season. Hosting FEATS requires additional support from our members, both in terms of organisation in the run-up to, as well as during the festival, when putting together front-of-house, backstage, and technical crews. The financial outlay for hosting FEATS is considerable, amongst other things it includes the theatre rent, inviting the juror to Hamburg, printing programmes and flyers, and so much more.

Therefore, The Hamburg Players would appreciate your support in the form of donations or sponsorships. Please get in touch via support@hamburgplayers.de to find out more.