Matthias Lilienthal

Matthias Lilienthal began his career at Theater Basel as dramaturge for Frank Castorf and Christoph Marthaler. He then joined Berliner Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz as chief dramaturge and deputy artistic director, recruiting Christoph Schlingensief and Johann Kresnik in the process. He headed Theater der Welt festival in the Rhine Valley and Mannheim in 2002 and 2014, and in the 2000s he ran HAU Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin, which was twice voted Theatre of the Year in the critics' poll of specialist magazine Theater heute during this period. From 2015 to 2020, he was director of Münchner Kammerspiele, transforming it into a hybrid of city theatre and production house. Kammerspiele were also named Theatre of the Year twice during his tenure. Since then, Lilienthal has worked as a festival organiser, including for This Is Not Lebanon at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, as well as a dramaturge, lecturer and actor. Matthias Lilienthal will take over as artistic director of Volksbühne Berlin from the 26/27 season.