Merlin Sandmeyer's Participation in the Lenz Challenge
Calling All Creatives! Join the Lenz Video Challenge
(A unique opportunity for school groups, clubs, and theater enthusiasts from grade 10 and up)
Ready, set, create! Kultur invites you to participate in the exciting Lenz Video Challenge, launching in 2025/26 academic year. This outstanding opportunity offers students a chance to produce short, mobile videos inspired by the iconic audio plays of renowned author, Siegfried Lenz.
Here's what you can expect:
- Mentorship: Winning teams will receive guidance from professional storytellers
- Finalist trip to Hamburg: Finalists will team up with a professional film crew in Hamburg to shoot an audio play scene
- Star-studded highlight: One winning team will receive acting coaching from Merlin Sandmeyer, famous for his role in "The Discounters"
How to sink your teeth into the challenge:
- Registration deadline: Until 12th September 2025, teachers should register their teams. All participating groups will receive a starting package with selected Lenz audio plays and a toolbox of teaching techniques
- Concept submission: From 15th September to 17th October 2025, participants develop their creative concepts and submit a one-page description
- Final production: From 4th November to 16th December 2025, the finalists will create their mobile reels at school with guidance and support
- Awards ceremony: The winning teams will be announced in February or March 2026, with four teams receiving a professional audio play production experience in Hamburg, including coaching by Merlin Sandmeyer himself.
Ready to rise to the challenge? Sign up now and consider yourself in the running for acting training sessions in our studios. Time to bring Siegfried Lenz's captivating audio plays to life on your mobile screens!
Choose from these four captivating audio plays (available exclusively in September):
The Deserter
A young Wehrmacht soldier battles with his conscience on the Eastern Front, falling for a Polish partisan along the way. With disheartening news from the front, Walter Proska is assigned to secure a railway line, entrenched in a forest fortress. But as the once-orderly squad succumbs to the heat, mosquitoes, and partisan attacks, the sergeant's commands become increasingly inhumane. As Proska questions duty, conscience, and the meaning of enemy, a haunting Polish partisan girl named Wanda weaves her way into his thoughts.
Minute of Silence
Follow Christian, a student forced to attend Stella Petersen's memorial service after their secret love affair. Perfectly capturing the intimate feelings and hidden connections, this audio play presents a poignant dialogue between Christian and his deceased lover, against the backdrop of a small coastal town and a school's memorial service.
The Labyrinth
Inheriting a small garden maze claimed to make people disappear, Elfi has a chilling revelation. Determined to free the city from men who mistreat their wives, she begins to use the maze for her dark purpose. But as her plan escalates, Elfi faces difficult decisions with dangerous consequences.
Time of the Blameless
In an unexpected turn of events, nine innocent individuals find themselves locked up with a terrorist. Only when he names his accomplices will they gain their freedom. With humanity at stake, one of them takes matters into their own hands when hope begins to wane.
Ready, Set, Create! Enter the Lenz Challenge today.
Questions? Feel free to reach out at lenzchallenge@ourwebsite.
Build your skills and reshape your lifestyle by joining the Lenz Video Challenge, a unique opportunity for education-and-self-development. Engage with the captivating audio plays of Siegfried Lenz and showcase your creativity in the realms of lifestyle and education-and-self-development.
Regardless of whether you choose "The Deserter," "Minute of Silence," "The Labyrinth," or "Time of the Blameless," this challenge offers a valuable education-and-self-development platform. Enter the Lenz Challenge today and experience personal growth while you shape your future lifestyle.
