Berlin's Theaters Embrace Visual Artists in New Season
The theater landscape in Berlin is undergoing a significant shift as new artistic leaders blend visual arts and blur traditional genre lines. Matthias Lilienthal, the recently appointed director of Volksbühne, has sparked debate by installing a swimming pool in front of the theater, which he claims is a form of art. Aviel Cahn, at the helm of Deutsche Oper, will launch the season with Rirkrit Tiravanija's 30-hour performance on August 29 and has established a new division called 'Unlimited', with Elisa Erkelenz at the forefront. Noteworthy premieres include Susanne Kennedy directing Karlheinz Stockhausen's 'Mittwoch aus Licht' and Wolfgang Tillmans' design for Britten's 'War Requiem'. Gorki Theater's Çağla Ilk showcases works by established artists like Sarkis and Ulrike Ottinger. The Musiktheater im Revier will debut 'Blau' on September 19, while the Volksbühne plans to adapt Vincenco Latronico's 'Perfection'.
Key facts
- Matthias Lilienthal placed a swimming pool in front of the Volksbühne and declared it art, sparking controversy.
- Rirkrit Tiravanija will open the Deutsche Oper's season on August 29 with a 30-hour nonstop event.
- The Deutsche Oper has created a new department called 'Unlimited' led by Elisa Erkelenz.
- Karlheinz Stockhausen's 'Mittwoch aus Licht' will be performed at the Deutsche Oper, directed by Susanne Kennedy.
- Wolfgang Tillmans will design the set for Benjamin Britten's 'War Requiem' at the Deutsche Oper.
- Çağla Ilk, new director of the Gorki Theater, is programming works by older artists like Sarkis and Ulrike Ottinger.
- Udo Kittelmann will curate an exhibition on Samuel Beckett and the 'Entartete Kunst' exhibition of 1937.
- The Schaubühne's new promotional images are by Toiletpaper, the collective of Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari.
- The opera 'Blau' based on Yves Klein and Walter Ruhnau will premiere at the Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen on September 19.
- The Volksbühne will stage a dramatization of Vincenco Latronico's novel 'Perfection', directed by Anta Recke.
Entities
Artists
- Matthias Lilienthal
- Rirkrit Tiravanija
- Karlheinz Stockhausen
- Susanne Kennedy
- Wolfgang Tillmans
- Çağla Ilk
- Sarkis
- Ulrike Ottinger
- Udo Kittelmann
- Maurizio Cattelan
- Pierpaolo Ferrari
- Yves Klein
- Walter Ruhnau
- Anta Recke
- Vincenco Latronico
- Tadeusz Kantor
- Leonora Carrington
- Samuel Beckett
- Elfriede Jelinek
- Yael Bartana
- Ersan Mondtag
- Chris Dercon
Institutions
- Volksbühne
- Deutsche Oper
- Gorki Theater
- Schaubühne
- Musiktheater im Revier
- Kronprinzenpalais
- Toiletpaper
- Monopol
- Venedig-Biennale
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Gelsenkirchen
- Birmingham
- Venedig