The Munich Kammerspiele is the Theater of the Year 2019. The staging of the year, the ten-hour antique evening "Dionysus Stadt" directed by Christopher Rüping, comes from the house directed by Matthias Lilienthal, as well as the actor of the year, Nils Kahnwald, the in Dionysus Stadtin in various roles and functions. (Read a review of the piece here) This is the result of the current "Theater heute" survey of 44 critics.
Sandra Hüller was chosen as "Penthesilea" for the actress of the year, a co-production of Salzburg Festival, Thalia Theater Hamburg and Bochum Schauspielhaus (directed by Johan Simons). The play of the year is the MeToo commentary "Schnee Weiß" by the Austrian playwright Elfriede Jelinek.
At first glance, the dominance of the Munich Kammerspiele in this year's poll is a surprising choice - because its director Matthias Lilienthal is controversial since he took office in 2015. The Berlin-based Lilienthal met with much skepticism from the outset with its plan to run the house subsidized by the state capital more like a theater of the independent scene and to show significantly more performances, international co-productions, experimental art and discussion evenings on the stages of the house.
Tobias Rabbit / DPA
Kammerspiel director Matthias Lilienthal
The "Süddeutsche Zeitung" called him before his appearance a "city theater fright", spectators stayed away, some actors left the ensemble, and the local CSU agitated so long against the Kammerspiel boss, that in wise foresight on extended its contract beyond 2020.
But his theater also regularly produces outstanding, forward-looking productions. Under Lilienthal's directorship, the Munich Kammerspiele were regularly represented at the Berliner Theatertreffen, including this year's staging of the year "Dionysus Stadt", in which the pieces "Prometheus", "Troja", "Orestie" and a satire play based on an antique model tied together in a tetralogy.
According to the participants, the project was developed jointly by ensemble and management team in three months of rehearsals, in line with Lilienthal's program and according to the credo of the director Christopher Rüping, 33: He does not understand himself as an ingenious artist, Rüping already said in the 2014 KulturSPIEGEL, but more as a "moderator setting a framework in which others can unfold their creativity".
Julian Baumann / Münchner Kammerspiele
"Dionysus City" director Christopher Rüping
Thus, the award for the "Theater of the Year" is also to be understood as a statement against Matthias Lilienthal's critics, who made life difficult for the Kammerspiel director in Munich. An early farewell present, handed over shortly before the start of his last season as director. This too has a long tradition: Most recently, the Kammerspiele were honored in 2009, when Frank Baumbauer left there, and then in 2013 - that was the year when Lilienthal's predecessor Johan Simons announced his withdrawal.
Disclosure: The author of this article was one of the 44 critics who participated in the "Theater Today" survey.
