As of: March 5, 2024, 7:24 p.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
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René Pollesch here in the Nuremberg Theater: The director died unexpectedly on February 26th.
© Daniel Karmann/picture alliance/dpa
René Pollesch is dead. The Hesse native died unexpectedly at the age of 61.
Only three years ago he took over the management of the Berliner Volksbühne.
Berlin – “We are all shocked,” says the spokeswoman for the Berliner Volksbühne, Lena Fuchs.
On Monday evening (February 26th), the theater announced the sad news: director René Pollesch is dead. At the age of 61, he “died suddenly and unexpectedly”.
Fuchs does not provide any further information, such as the cause of death.
“Maker type” at the Berliner Volkstheater: Intendant René Pollesch died unexpectedly
In 2021, Pollesch took over the management of the Berliner Volksbühne on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz from Chris Decron, which was good news for theater fans at the time.
A “doer type”, son of a caretaker at the head of the theater, a new start for the Volksbühne.
Pollesch had previously worked for the stage for over 20 years and had worked as a director and author under director Frank Castorf since 2001.
He also managed the small Prater venue on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz for six years (2001 – 2006).
During this time, Pollesch received, among other things, the Mülheim Drama Prize twice.
His last honor: The Arthur Schnitzler Prize 2019.
From Hesse to Berin: Pollesch wrote over 200 plays himself
René Pollesch was born in Friedberg, Hesse, in 1962 and studied applied theater studies at the University of Giessen in the 1980s.
After positions at the Theater Turm as well as a work scholarship at the Royal Court Theater in London and a scholarship at the Schloss Solitude Academy in Stuttgart, he worked as a director for the first time at the Lucerne Theater in 1999.
Pollesch wrote over 200 of his own plays and staged them himself. Among others, at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, at the Munich Chamber Players and at the Burgtheater in Vienna.
His teachers included Heiner Müller and George Tabori.
In 2012 Pollesch was accepted by the Academy of Arts in Berlin.
Pollesch's play “nothing is ok” celebrated its premiere in January
It was only in mid-January of this year that Pollesch's play “Nothing is OK” celebrated its premiere at the Volksbühne.
The collaboration with actor Fabian Hinrichs was a complete success.
Hinrichs told Die
Zeit
: “René is just as present in the game and image as I am in the text and vice versa.
We meet each other.” Pollesch was considered open-minded and capable of criticism.
In an interview with the
Frankfurter Rundschau
he once stated: “I don’t think everything I write is great.” Some theater fans might disagree.
(moe)