Volksbühne

For over a century, the Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin-Mitte has been the city's most political and radical theater. What opened in 1914 as a stage for the working class became a breeding ground for contemporary German theater. Today, the venue stands at the precipice of a new beginning.

A Theater That Polarizes

The Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz has made a name for itself through renowned figures and radical productions. Throughout its history, the Volksbühne has defined and pushed artistic boundaries in all disciplines. The venue’s history and aesthetics are characterized by the invention of new theatrical practices, the application of cinematic techniques, and a radical redefinition of artistic space. In its ensemble and repertoire operations, it focuses not only on drama and dance but also on music, performance, film, and discourse. If you want to experience theater that asks uncomfortable questions instead of providing pleasing answers, this is the place to be. The program ranges from premieres and dance performances to discourse formats, making the Volksbühne Berlin one of the densest play schedules in the German theater landscape.

With directors such as Christoph Marthaler, Christoph Schlingensief, Johann Kresnik, René Pollesch, and Frank Castorf, the theater became one of the places where municipal theater was reinvented. René Pollesch passed away in February 2024. During his three seasons, he brought a total of eight productions to premiere. His death left a noticeable void, but the venue continued to play.

The Volksbühne in a New Era

A fresh chapter is now beginning. Matthias Lilienthal will become the artistic director of the Berliner Volksbühne at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, as announced by Senator for Culture Joe Chialo. Matthias Lilienthal will take over the directorship starting August 1, 2026. Additionally, choreographers Florentina Holzinger and Marlene Monteiro Freitas will join the leadership as part of the Artistic Board. This gives Berlin’s theater flagship a dual leadership combining experience and choreographic power.

Lilienthal clearly states the goal: the Volksbühne should become an international place of theater. This, according to Lilienthal, is a resistance against a policy of renationalization, a joyful resistance. Meanwhile, Meo Wulf is already considered the new cult phenomenon at the Berliner Volksbühne: shrill, queer, deliberately nonsensical. So, anyone waiting for the new artistic director to officially start will miss some truly remarkable things in the current program. The theater in Berlin-Mitte thus remains what it always was: a place one must talk about.