Petra Rațiu
Close-up of Heidi in her yellow quilted dress crouching among green plants, her face mirrored in a glass surface above her.
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2026TheatreGerman State Theatre Timișoara

Heidi

after Johanna Spyri · stage version by Thomas Birkmeir

About the production

In a playful adaptation of the classic children's novel, little Heidi, left an orphan, must warm the heart of her gruff grandfather and convince him to let her live with him. Little by little, the old man grows fond of his granddaughter, even though he often treats her strictly.

Together with Peter, the village goatherd boy, Heidi roams the mountains, learns about nature and friendship, and has all kinds of adventures. However, the villagers do not believe that her grandfather can properly raise and educate Heidi. So one day, they abduct the girl and send her away from her Swiss village to Frankfurt, where she is to be a companion to Klara, a girl with disabilities who cannot walk. There, Heidi suffers far from her family and friends and is scolded every day by Miss Rottenmeier, the strict governess. Gradually, however, Heidi befriends Klara, and the two girls hatch all sorts of mischievous plans together.

Homesickness continues to torment Heidi, and she eventually falls ill. Just when her condition becomes serious, she is miraculously saved. In this version, the classic story is reinterpreted with great humor and tenderness, while the importance of friendship, family, and the idea of “home” is explored in a way that is accessible to children.

Heidi premiered on 1 February 2026 and became one of the successes of the theatre's 2025/26 season, travelling to Arad and Reșița as part of its regional touring.

Gallery

Close-up of Heidi in her yellow quilted dress crouching among green plants, her face mirrored in a glass surface above her. Miss Rottenmeier points a stick at Heidi while the staff watch.
Klara rises from her wheelchair in front of the glowing doorway. Klara in her wheelchair, the grandfather and Heidi reflected on a glossy black floor before the green wallpaper.
Heidi stands inside a tall glass cabinet overgrown with ivy, surrounded by fog. Heidi, with braided horns of hair and green ribbons, laughs over an open book.
Masked figures and an owl gather on the mountain set in blue and green light. The priest in white stands over the kneeling villagers in deep blue light.
A kneeling man in white adjusts Klara's wheelchair while a laughing Heidi leans over her from behind. Heidi in her yellow quilted coat stands at the front, the household lined up behind her.
Figures moving through thick white stage fog in front of a wall of dark hunting trophies. Miss Rottenmeier and Heidi, in her yellow quilted dress with green ribbons, face each other smiling.
The villagers in masks and hats crowd behind the priest in a tall mitre. Masked villagers huddle together, holding masks on sticks above their heads.
Heidi asleep on a raised bed under a swirling blue projection. Klara in her wheelchair, seen from behind, before a wall of green projected wallpaper and a glowing doorway.

Photos: German State Theatre Timișoara

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