A theater so chaotic it made Brecht look like Broadway.
Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 1992-2017. The end of the GDR gave rise to new artistic freedoms in reunited Berlin. Shortly after the fall of the Wall, rebel director Frank Castorf was appointed artistic director of the Volksbühne. His way of working altered the public’s perception of this theater. The chronological history of the Castorf era between 1992 and 2017 is told here in excerpts from the productions and in a series of conversations conducted on the long sofa in the theater's foyer.
Direction
Three directors wrestling one man's chaos into coherence.
Production
The Volksbühne itself—ugly, defiant, irreplaceable.
Director
Adama Ulrich
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Volksbühne became known as the 'scandal-ticket'—audiences expected disruption, making provocation its own trap. Castorf's genius was exhausting that expectation until it became form.
The long sofa interviews were shot across years; cast members aged visibly between segments, an accidental documentary of institutional time itself.
DE
