The Stadtpuppenbühne Öcher Schängche starts the new season with the classic "The Devil in Aachen" on Sunday, September 21, at 3 pm. The performance is fun for children and adults alike. It is about the old cathedral building saga: the mayor of Aachen at the time is burdened with great worries, the city coffers are empty and the building work on the cathedral is stalling. In his distress, the mayor makes an alliance with the devil. He fills the coffers with pure gold and demands the soul of the first person to enter the completed cathedral.

On the Saturday before the opening of the season, September 20, the Stadtpuppenbühne will present itself at the big summer festival in the Kulturhaus Barockfabrik from 3 pm. This is all about experiencing the puppets up close. "I am delighted about the revived Barockfabrik, which has once again become a lively cultural venue thanks to its tenants and, above all, Café Vers," emphasizes play director Hanna Birmans.

The children's play "The Pied Piper in Aachen" by Wilhelm Dithmar will have its first premiere of the season on Sunday, September 28 at 3 pm. Ina Gröbner is new to the playful ensemble.

A colourful program for young and old
Other plays for young Schängche fans include "Princess Tausendschön" from 2 November, the fairytale play "König Drosselbart oder Et Schängche hölpt wier ens en Hängche" by Will Hermanns from 30 November, "Zwerg Nase" from 8 February 2026 and "Der Wunderkessel" from 8 March 2026. For adults, there will be a revival of the successful play "Der versiegelte Bürgermeister" on 9 October, 6 November and 4 December. An eagerly awaited premiere is "Der Freischütz" by Hein Janssen on May 7, 2026. "Der versiegelte Bürgermeister" is also a revival from the previous season. The carnival events "Öcher fiere met et Schängche Fastelovvend" from January 16, 2026 are of course not to be missed either.

An absolute highlight of the new season is the new production of "Freischütz" by Hein Janssen, based on the opera by Carl Maria von Weber. "What is particularly appealing about the version for the puppet stage is the strong contrast between the actually dark mood of the story and the comedy that Nieres in particular brings to it as the Schützenkönig and Schängche," reveals the director, whose favorite author of the puppet stage is Hein Janssen. "His plays are always traditional, but at the same time have a timeless wit and, above all, a beautiful and understandable Platt. As far as I'm concerned, he always gets the character of the puppets exactly right in his plays. At least the way I would read them," emphasizes Birmans. The most challenging aspect of the play is that the new production cannot use existing stage sets and props. "We will have to build and invent everything from scratch. The play is also a great vocal challenge for the players," says Birmans, looking forward to the rehearsals.

Advance ticket bookings:
Children's plays on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

Adult plays before the performance from Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. by telephone on 0241 172016 or at any time by e-mail: puppenbuehne@mail.aachen.de

Admission prices:
Children: 3 euros, concessions 2 euros
Adults: 5 euros, concessions 3 euros

Further information is available at https://oecher-schaengche.de/.