EXARC and Stadtmuseum Berlin (Team Düppel) are pleased to announce the conference “Staging the Past: Living History, Live Audiences, Real Challenges”, to be held in Berlin from 12–15 November 2026.

The conference is open to all and welcomes professionals, researchers, practitioners, and interested participants working in experimental archaeology, living history, museum practice, and related fields. Participation for audience and contributors is be possible both in person and online via the registration button.

Register here

Conference Theme

The conference explores the opportunities and challenges of presenting the past through living history and museum theatre. While living history has become an increasingly influential tool for interpretation, education, and public engagement, it also raises complex questions concerning:

authenticity and quality
performance and interpretation
audience interaction
ethical considerations
institutional and practical constraints

Through papers, workshops, and practical sessions, the conference aims to foster critical discussion and exchange of experience across disciplines.

Papers and Discussions

Contributors, whether participating online or in person, are invited to submit their abstracts. Abstracts can be uploaded directly through the conference registration form. For further details on submission requirements and deadlines, please consult the Call for Papers page.

Programme Overview

The conference runs 12–15 November 2026. The full programme will be available in May 2026, once abstracts are accepted.

Thursday 12 November

The event will begin on Thursday, 12 November 2026, with an informal opportunity for participants to meet in the evening. From 18:00, an informal get-together will take place. This gathering is self-paid and not formally organised, but offers a relaxed setting to reconnect with colleagues and meet other participants ahead of the conference.

Friday 13 November

The main programme will start on Friday, 13 November 2026. Registration will open at 08:30, followed by a welcome and greeting at 09:00. The morning programme will consist of a series of talks running from 09:15 to 10:45, after which there will be a coffee break until 11:15. Three further talks will follow, concluding at 12:45. A lunch break will take place from 12:45 to 14:00; lunch is not organised, but participants will receive a list of nearby venues.

The afternoon will be dedicated to workshops, beginning with a session from 14:00 to 15:30, followed by a coffee break, and a second workshop session from 16:00 to 17:00. A board meeting is planned for 18:00 (to be confirmed). The day will conclude with a conference dinner at 19:00, which is self-paid but organised.

Saturday 14 November

The programme on Saturday, 14 November 2026, will follow a similar structure. Registration will again begin at 08:30, with a welcome at 09:00. The morning will feature a sequence of talks from 09:15 to 10:45, followed by a coffee break. Three further talks will take place between 11:15 and 12:45. Lunch will run from 12:45 to 14:00 and, as on Friday, is not organised, though recommendations will be provided. The afternoon will again be devoted to workshops, with sessions from 14:00 to 15:30 and 16:00 to 17:00, separated by a coffee break. The day will end with an organised, self-paid dinner at 19:00.

Workshops

On Friday and Saturday afternoons, two parallel workshops will be offered.

The first workshop, led by Angela Pfenniger, will focus on museum theatre as an interpretive tool. Rather than actor training, the workshop concentrates on the use of theatrical methods in heritage and museum contexts. Participants will work with a practical toolkit that includes narrative perspectives, improvisation, classic teaching techniques, and strategies for responding to unexpected situations and audience interaction. Further information about this workshop leader can be found here.

The second workshop, led by Katrin (Pallia), will address historical clothing and textiles. This workshop focuses on the creation of authentic historical garments and includes a critical examination of written sources, visual representations, and archaeological textile finds. More information is available here.

Sunday 15 November

The conference will conclude on Sunday, 15 November 2026, with an excursion to Düppel. Participants will meet at the site in the morning. Depending on overall numbers, the group will be divided into two or three smaller groups. Activities will include guided tours led by a first-person interpreter portraying a fictional character from the medieval settlement formerly located at Düppel, as well as parallel hands-on craft activities. The excursion will conclude with a farewell lunch, provided on site, and a final wrap-up session, bringing the conference to a close.

Fees

Registration is open for both in-person and online participation. Online attendees can join the conference free of charge, while for online presenters a fee of €30 will be charged. The fee is intended to cover administrative and organizational costs, including paper processing and YouTube streaming.

For in-person participants, the registration fees are structured according to membership status and category as follows:

Regular EXARC member: €100
Student EXARC member: €65
Regular non-EXARC member: €140
Student non-EXARC member: €95
Special rate – Volunteers at Düppel: €30

All registrations, whether for in-person attendance or online participation, can be completed through the conference registration form.

Venues

PETRI Berlin
Morning sessions (until the lunch break) will take place at PETRI Berlin.

Humboldt Forum Berlin
In the afternoons, participants will be divided into two groups. One group will remain at PETRI Berlin, while the other will move to a seminar space at the Humboldt Forum Berlin.