Nikolaus Frinke
Set Designer
The Deutsches Theater, a theatrical institution with a permanent and highly-acclaimed ensemble, has been making history ever since receiving that name in 1883. Behind its classical façade, the Deutsches Theater building is home to three stages: the main stage, built in 1850, with its intimate auditorium that seats 600; the »Kammerspiele«, established in 1906 for modern drama, which holds some 230 spectators; and the Box, a compact black box located in the Kammerspiele foyer, which opened in 2006. With seating for 80, it's the venue for theatre that is up-close and personal, featuring new scripts and topical themes. The Deutsches Theater repertoire comprises some 50 productions and each season the DT celebrates about 30 premieres. Signature productions, ongoing collaborations with established and up-and-coming directors, and faith in the abilities of his spirited and talented ensemble: these are the cornerstones of Ulrich Khuon's artistic concept for the Deutsches Theater since 2009. Khuon has brought on board directors with distinctive directing styles, including Andreas Kriegenburg (as the theatre's senior director), Stephan Kimmig, Michael Thalheimer, Dimiter Gotscheff and Nicolas Stemann.
The theatre's repertoire includes both classics and modern classics by writers such as Chekhov, Goethe, Max Frisch, Gerhart Hauptmann, Heiner Müller, Friedrich Schiller, Shakespeare and Frank Wedekind. At the same time, the DT stages works by contemporary playwrights like Dea Loher, Elfriede Jelinek, Simon Stephens and Stephen Belber - including many world premieres. Once a year the Deutsches Theater plays host to the Autorentheatertage, a two-week-long festival of contemporary drama. Each year the Deutsches Theater takes its productions on tour and performs at festivals in places like New York, South America, Japan, and across Europe. A series of television broadcasts of DT productions and frequent invitations to Berlin's prestigious Theatertreffen festival testify to the theatre's continuing success. In an annual poll conducted by influential German theatre magazine Theater heute, critics voted the DT »Theatre of the Year» in 2005 and 2008.
