Hömma! DER Ruhrpottabend

Hömma, friends of refined entertainment: There’s no beating around the bush here, we get straight to the point! Host Helmut Sanftenschneider brings three of the best Ruhrpott comedians to the stage – direct, honest, loud and funny, just like it is here in the area.

And because people in the Pott know how to get things going, everyone gets a Bergamannswasser (Korn) for free at the start. That greases the throat and sets a good mood before the jokes really start ringing out.

So: Sit down, pour yourself a drink and laugh your ass off. Hömma, it’s going to be a night like a pilsner in the community garden – unadulterated Ruhrpott!

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Wolfgang Trepper
"Wolfgang Trepper is coming!"

For some, it’s a threat, especially for politicians, television makers, schlager fans, and those stuck in the past. For others, it’s good news. For those who appreciate and enjoy the unique mix of our bitterly humorous cabaret and heartfelt texts. After receiving the Hurz award together with Hape Kerkeling and Gerburg Jahnke, the tour continues. Everyone is welcome because Trepper starts just as they know him. He says he has become much calmer, but see for yourself... The program for 2026 will be just like the others: uncompromisingly brutal and tenderly soft. Cheeky as ever and humanely quiet - that's Wolfgang Trepper. An evening that lingers - One way or another!

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Culinary delight and thrill: Guests at Hopfen & Salz in Dortmund are offered quite a lot: exquisitely served, spontaneously staged. Das Kriminal Dinner – a delicious 3-course menu in a stylish ambiance framed by an interactive crime play:

´Sir Williams Geheimnis´

The turbulent crime comedy around your meal - thrilling - interactive - funny

An imaginative story from "good old England" of Queen Victoria with London's high society, Scotland Yard, Butler James, and a bizarre series of murders.

We are in the year 1888.

"Jack the Ripper" is on the loose in London. At "Fitzurse Manor," the estate of Sir William, however, everything seems to be in order. Guests have gathered for a festive dinner when a horrific murder occurs before their eyes. Numerous entanglements, unexpected twists, and humorous interludes and punchlines will shape the course of the evening. Inspector McPherson from Scotland Yard demands a swift resolution and sets up special commissions to support ongoing investigations. Guests can actively participate in the search for evidence and clues to unmask the murderer and his secret.

But beware, many traps have been laid, and nothing is as it seems.

The enticing multi-course menu is served and created by the kitchen team at Hopfen & Salz Dortmund. The thrill for nerves and taste buds begins at 7 PM, with doors opening at 6:30 PM.

Doors open: 6:30 PM / Multi-course menu and play are included in the price / Tables and seating will be assigned on-site.

Wolfgang Trepper
"Wolfgang Trepper is coming!"

For some, it’s a threat, especially for politicians, television makers, schlager fans, and those stuck in the past. For others, it’s good news. For those who appreciate and enjoy the unique mix of our bitterly humorous cabaret and heartfelt texts. After receiving the Hurz award together with Hape Kerkeling and Gerburg Jahnke, the tour continues. Everyone is welcome because Trepper starts just as they know him. He says he has become much calmer, but see for yourself... The program for 2026 will be just like the others: uncompromisingly brutal and tenderly soft. Cheeky as ever and humanely quiet - that's Wolfgang Trepper. An evening that lingers - One way or another!

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Wolfgang Trepper
"Wolfgang Trepper is coming!"

For some, it’s a threat, especially for politicians, television makers, schlager fans, and those stuck in the past. For others, it’s good news. For those who appreciate and enjoy the unique mix of our bitterly humorous cabaret and heartfelt texts. After receiving the Hurz award together with Hape Kerkeling and Gerburg Jahnke, the tour continues. Everyone is welcome because Trepper starts just as they know him. He says he has become much calmer, but see for yourself... The program for 2026 will be just like the others: uncompromisingly brutal and tenderly soft. Cheeky as ever and humanely quiet - that's Wolfgang Trepper. An evening that lingers - One way or another!

Doors open: 6:30 PM

KUU! stands for songs that make a mark with intensity and emotion. The band unites an extraordinary artistic chemistry with immediate, uncompromising expressiveness, thereby taking a special position in the current music landscape.
At the center is the expressive singer Jelena Kuljić. Together with guitarists Kalle Kalima and Frank Möbus, as well as drummer Christian Lillinger, a powerful collective emerges that effortlessly switches between rock, jazz, punk, and post-rock.
The music of KUU! is energized, multifaceted, and always in tune with the times. It addresses social issues, creating both density and clarity, and speaks to the mind, body, and emotions alike. Sometimes raw and direct, other times delicate and atmospheric, the band develops its own, unmistakable sound language.

“An explosive power package. Wild, surprising, and endlessly wasteful of energy.”
Rolling Stone

“Four extremely strong characters push each other to their limits and beyond.”
radioeins rbb

“Cleverly nested, yet always song-oriented and highly energetic music.”
Jazzthetik

“An astonishing band, far from established norms.”
London Jazz News

Doors open: 19:30 Uhr

Eight members of the legendary Cologne Stunksitzung take the stage as the ensemble "Stunk Unplugged" on June 13, 2026, in the mirror tent in Dortmund. They are the largest cabaret ensemble in the republic and present cabaret highlights and songs from 42 years of Stunksitzung.

Stunk Unplugged is the crackle in the audience, the unbridled willingness of lively stage people and joyful global citizens to be colorful and multicultural. Stunk Unplugged is a portrayal of outstanding acting performance that fundamentally differs from pseudo-humor. No matter how relaxed and cheerful the presentation may seem, there are clever minds behind it, who have thought about what should make the audience think, laugh, and cheer. All the unsympathetic figures of this world (from Erdogan to Orban, to Putin and Trump) are topics. Stunk is also that: targeted majesty insult. This pleases the people of Dortmund, because for years, the Stunkers have been coming to RuhrHochDeutsch and are always well attended.
All issues that move society are “processed” in sketches and songs: shortage of skilled workers, integration, housing crisis, climate change...

Despite all the toughness, in the end, Stunk Unplugged is above all one thing: great entertainment!
Cheeky, cheekier, Stunk.

The live music comes from Gilly Alfeo, Josef Piek, and Chris de Wueb.

Admission: 18:30 Uhr

Physicist - Marcus Weber

Now the time has finally come: After over 100 experiments in the popular prime-time show "Who Knows Something Like That XXL," where Marcus Weber has thrilled audiences since 2016, the physicist is now bringing his passion for science to the big stage in his first solo program! "ICH HAB DA MAL WAS VORBEREITET" is an experience for everyone, as Marcus Weber combines intelligent entertainment with spectacular effects! Ice-cold, explosive nitrogen, astonishing giant vortex rings, and an enthusiasm that literally sparks! Weber sheds entertaining light on physical phenomena and makes the audience marvel. Experience how the "Physicant" is passionate about his subject and makes science come alive in a fascinating way—because here, not only is there experimentation, but also laughter.

Doors open: 2:00 PM

SOUNDZZ takes place in the domicil children's and youth area: children's and family concerts, school concerts in the domicil, and the school band festival.

The series SOUNDZZ family concerts primarily targets families with children of elementary school age. During the concerts, children are playfully introduced to jazz, improvisational music, and sounds from around the world under music pedagogical guidance. They experience the concerts up close, can communicate directly with the participating musicians afterwards, try out instruments, or actively join in. No prior instrumental knowledge is required, just curiosity, attention, and fun!

Doors open: 15:30 Uhr

Physicist - Marcus Weber

Now it's finally time: After over 100 experiments in the popular prime-time show "Who knows that XXL", in which Marcus Weber has been captivating audiences since 2016, the physicist now brings his passion for science to the big stage with his first solo program! "ICH HAB DA MAL WAS VORBEREITET" is an experience for everyone, as Marcus Weber combines intelligent entertainment with spectacular effects! Ice-cold, explosive nitrogen, astonishing giant vortex rings, and an enthusiasm that literally sparks! Weber presents physical phenomena in an entertaining light and leaves the audience in awe. Experience how the "Physicist" is passionate about his subject and makes fascinating science come alive - because here, not only is there experimenting, but also laughter.

Doors open: 18:30

A remote village. An impenetrable forest. A journey into the past: The third case for Mila Weiss and Jakob Krogh!

Deep in the woods, redemption waits - and horror
Mila Weiss is on the hunt. Deep in the mountains, she finally wants to confront a phantom from her past: Johannes Toblach. But on the day of her arrival, a body is found in the trees, caught in a web of ropes. And for Mila, the question arises: Is she the hunter or the hunted? Piece by piece, she gets closer to her goal - until she suddenly disappears without a trace.
Group 4, led by Jakob Krogh, immediately sets out to search. They come across a remote mountain village, where the silence is even denser than the fog. The team gets caught up in the cruel game of a serial killer who hides in the shadows of the forests. And it is clear that Mila is in his power... Copyright of the photos Bogenberger_Autorenfotos

60 is the new 40, because the best years come after the good ones, and neither the dinosaurs nor the inhabitants of Pompeii could claim that.
Are the good years really sex, drugs & rock 'n' roll? Or more about swimming pools, ice cream, and fries with mayo?
When he was young, 60 was already old, really old. Today, one thinks: Tom Cruise, Campino, Jim Carrey, and Roberto Capitoni are all over 60?
Is it due to the new titanium hip, Viagra, or the good care from their wives?
Daily countless offers, all of which end up in the spam folder, ranging from safe weight loss to relief from prostatitis, to products for varicose veins, do not help Roberto in this case either.
So what does one do now? Skin creams or straight to Botox? But even the invitations to milestone birthdays are decreasing just as the funerals are increasing.
Furthermore, he is just about to get a discount on train journeys, which is rather advantageous for a half Swabian, and the daily look into the pharmacy journal or the preliminary pension statement keeps swinging him between fits of laughter and despair.
But Roberto wouldn’t be Roberto if he didn’t have a few simple tricks up his sleeve to appear young again. Need an example?
On Roberto's bucket list, or as it's called in German, "Löffelliste," bungee jumping would never appear, because he would be afraid of dropping the spoon during freefall.
But why do mostly life-shortening activities end up on that list anyway?
And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s also his Uncle Luigi, who does not necessarily always offer help. Every now and then, he gets Roberto into very absurd life situations where it might be over quicker than he would like.
Live stand-up comedy in 4D: See, hear, feel, laugh!
And wherever Capitoni is mentioned, it is also well known that Roberto is involved.

...every Monday
“Currywurst and cabaret of the finest”
...every Monday, the secret and eerie stars of (Ruhr) German small art stages come to the mirror tent.
Included in the entry price of €26: a currywurst or giant pretzel.
Value tokens can be obtained at the evening box office. The monetary value of value tokens cannot be credited or exchanged for beverages or food.

Admission: 6:30 PM

Halt mal, Schatz!

This is an accurate depiction of everything that is happening in and around parents when they become parents, both individually and together. This is also somewhat related to children.
I have written this down and will read from it.
Of course not everything, but just enough to give you an idea.
There will be laughter, and not infrequently from schadenfreude.
And because it's a book, you can reread and verify everything for yourself, and because I'm honest, you can take everything at face value.
Best from a specialty store.

Doors open: 6:30 PM

Helmut trifft…... Talk & Comedy for the 20th stage anniversary
For the 20th stage anniversary of Carmela de Feo, better known as her sharp-tongued persona La Signora, RuhrHOCHdeutsch invites you to a special comedy evening.
Moderator Helmut meets a woman who has filled cabaret and comedy stages with Italian passion and a hefty dose of Ruhrpott sarcasm for two decades.
Together they reflect on highlights from 20 years – from the first performances to countless tours to the defining moments that have made Carmela de Feo as an artist and La Signora as a character unforgettable.

But it won't just be stories: games, spontaneous actions, surprise guests, and lots of humor ensure that this anniversary evening is much more than a comedy talk.
It is a tribute to Carmela de Feo – and a celebration for La Signora, who has thrilled the audience with high musicality, sharp observational skills, and unexpected punchlines for 20 years.

Doors open at 6:30 PM

Simone Solga
Sie kennen mich

Germany: it's daily big cinema, unfortunately of the kind disaster film.
At least with high entertainment value. Incompetence, megalomania, double standards -
in German politics there is something for every taste. A great thinker once said: We can do it. What has become of it: they are getting us. A
country in a final match against itself. In these strange times, the soul needs hope and reliability. That's why Simone Solga guarantees, just like the great thinker once did: You know me! For her new program, she is getting out of her legendary YouTube bed and delights the audience with the usual and beloved ruthlessness. Simone Solga also dares to take the greatest risk on stage right now. She speaks the truth as it is. And she does so, in a way that is appropriate to the seriousness of the situation, with unrestrained joy and audacity. Simone Solga goes where it hurts. Initially out of despair, but once she gets going, it only hurts from laughing. Treat yourself to this rare happiness. And tell the powerful together with Simone Solga: You know me. And you can have me.

Doors open: 18:30 Uhr

International Pynchon Week 2026, a conference hosted by the American Studies team at TU Dortmund University, concludes with a very special musical event at domicil: Visit will perform songs from Thomas Pynchon’s novels. They are joined by composer and violinist Jack M. Campbell, who will perform his piece “A Music Not Without Majesty,” as well as local heroes Liesel and Ariya. There will be kazoos.

Visit
is the band project of Tyler Burba (NYC), who recorded six albums to date with various visiting musicians: Visit (2006), Think God! (2009), Existential Hymns (2022), Fool’s Leap of Faith (2025), and the forthcoming Exit Ayres. In 2020, Tyler Burba (voc, g, p, h) collaborated with literary scholar Christian Hänggi (sax, cl) on “Now Everybody”— Visit Interprets Songs by Thomas Pynchon (https://now-everybody.party/wp), which they will perform in Dortmund with Simon Truog (b) and Dario Maier (dr) along with new material.

Jack M. Campbell
is a Canadian composer, concert violinist, arts producer and recording artist. Called a “Prodigiously Gifted Young Violinist” (Pwyll ap Siôn; The Strad) and a “Young Master of the Arts” (London Daily News), Campbell has performed in Canada, England, Wales, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the USA.

Liesel
On both piano and guitar, this young artist sings original songs that sit closely with melancholy but always hold a hint of hope. Her lyrics deal with the troubles of coming of age, love, the chaos in her mind, and the ordinary madness that sometimes just needs an outlet. The music is complemented by witty moments and the wild stories behind her songs. She sings with a soft but vibrant voice about everything that comes, goes, or annoys – always with the sentiment that it will all make sense eventually.

Ariya
is a singer-songwriter whose music lives in quiet, intimate moments, written on bedroom floors, in the aftermath of heavy feelings, and somewhere between letting go and holding on. Her songs move through stories of grief, love, and the quiet weight of growing up, tracing the deeper corners of the inner world and what once only silently existed that slowly found its way outward, carrying everything it couldn’t leave behind.

Einlass: 19:00 Uhr

Entry from 7:00 PM

The concert has been canceled due to logistical reasons. Tickets can be returned at the respective box office.

Laughter and the best medicine
Rene Steinberg meets Doc Esser

One is a physician and rock musician, the other a cabaret artist and trained literary scholar. Together they meet to embark on a quest: what is good for a person? What do you need? How does one live healthily and happily without the inner lazy dog whining too loudly? What does the mind require while the body desires something else, and how can one best bring both into harmony?
To tackle these fundamental questions, both bring their respective professions to the scales and onto the stage: medicine/humor, health/social observation, biology/poetry, classical literature, and the latest studies. But in all of this, the cabaret artist and the physician surely share the insight that underlies this experimental search within the framework of a lovely evening: laughter is the best medicine.

Doors open: 18:30

Virtuoso and urgent. This characterizes the music of the outstanding 22-member Fuchsthone Orchestra by Christina Fuchs and Caroline Thon – both experienced Big Band and ensemble leaders who came together in 2019 to found a joint orchestra in Cologne, for which they compose and conduct their respective works. In 2023, they released their debut album "Structures [&] Beauty", and now their follow-up album "Peaks [&] Plots" is released, featuring Greek vibraphonist and percussionist Evi Fillipou as the orchestra's guest soloist.

"Peaks" are the highlights, events, encounters, and experiences of the year 2025, musically realized by the two composers in "Plots," the storylines and narratives. Like in "Savita," composed by Caroline Thon and dedicated to the young German aid worker Savita Diana Wagner, who wrote about the war in her touching frontline blog diary and was killed during her aid mission. Like in "Taksim" by Christina Fuchs, with field recordings from Istanbul, the chants of the muezzin, and city sounds as a complete sound picture of the metropolis. Created during a time of political unrest, while she was there for an artist residency. "Taksim" is the name of the central square but also means "musical improvisation."

Or in the restless, escalating composition "Le Champ" by Caroline Thon, based on the field theory of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, as an appeal for a fairer distribution of resources. Some sections, according to Thon, have the aggressive energy of rock music, combined with electronic minimal music, the element of word as sound, and the metallic-melodic soundscapes of Evi Fillipou's vibraphone. In composing, she also follows Bela Bartók's core motif theory, developing a complex musical work from a single compositional cell through continuous variation.

Christina Fuchs describes her compositional practice as a search for sound and expansion. Starting with rhythm, she develops compositional sketches that become fragments of sound collages. Layers that overlap and intertwine like events. "Every chord has a verticality for me," she explains. Caroline Thon starts with a melodic idea that expands into a complete composition, with interwoven layers of tension arcs.

Always with the claim to artistically take a stand on socio-political issues and continuously expand and deepen their compositional spectrum sonically. Fuchs and Thon work with condensed rhythmic and melodic textures of intricate sound structures, electronics, and live sampling from computer musician and sound artist Eva Pöpplein, combining them with Big Band brass sections, violin, and voice into a total artwork.

Extending and transcending genre boundaries, noise surfaces form into which virtuosic brass sections dive, from which solos and improvisational internal surfaces emerge, slowing down to whispers, only to become a large-scale sound landscape again. To a dynamic of silence and the energy of erupting, brutal tutti. Masterfully led by the two conductors, as a sonic narrative and exploration of form and material, of Peaks [&] Plots.

Doors open: 19:30