#chris dercon

A Theatre without Actors

[This text has been accepted for publication and will appear in a revised form in Theatre Survey 59.2 (May 2018) (published by Cambridge University Press); copyright (c) 2018, American Society for Theatre Research.]

  “But everyone who is in favour of a living theatre will no longer be in favour of the Volksbühne.” [1]

  When Tim Renner, then secretary of state for cultural affairs in Berlin,…

Das letzte Mal Volksbühne: Von Mainz bis an die Memel CXXXIV : Superlativen

Ich weiß, ich bin nicht die Richtige, um diese Kritik zu veräußern. Theater und ich, das war ein schwieriger Start. Als Kind von der einer Inszenierung von “Das kalte Herz” traumatisiert, in der Schule von klassischen Stoff terrorisiert, habe ich erst spät einen Hoffnungsschimmer erleben dürfen. “Kill Your Darlings! Streets of Berladelphia” von René Pollesch in der Volksbühne. Ich wusste bis…

How to Kill a Great Theatre: The Tragedy of the Volksbühne

Almost two years ago, the Berlin government announced that Frank Castorf’s contract as the artistic director of the Volksbühne would not be renewed after the end of his current term in the summer of 2017, and that his successor would be Chris Dercon, at that point Director of the Tate Modern in London. But if you care at all about European theatre, you’ve probably heard about that, and if not –…

http://www.sleek-mag.com/2016/12/13/chris-dercon-berlin/

For years, Berlin has been considered a beacon of opportunity and freedom in the art world. It often ranks high in lists of world cities and, recently, three of its residents made it onto ArtReview's list of the top 10 most powerful people in the arts. Even the former Tate Modern director Chris Dercon seemed to be enamoured with the city, which he once referred to as “cosmopolitan”. But since Dercon’s appointment as the next director of the theatre institution Volksbühne two years ago, the mood has been far from chirpy.

First, his announcements of reform were received with a formal complaint from the theatre’s staff as well as a brief strike. And last week at a conference in the Belgian embassy in Berlin he expressed his discontent with the city, labeling German theater as old-fashioned, its contemporary art as unimaginative and Berlin a non-world city. Ouch or as the Germans utter: aua!

“I come from London, I come from the art market. I am responsible for Brexit, the climate change, I am neoliberal, I stand for the event culture." - Chris Dercon

"I do not know if I can help Berlin” - Chris Dercon

It’s unclear why Dercon has fallen foul of the city he’s chosen to live in after Brussels, New York, Rotterdam, Munich, and London. But despite his claim, he remains humorous and self-critical. "I know the arguments against me,” he said. “I come from London, I come from the art market. I am responsible for Brexit, the climate change, I am neoliberal, I stand for the event culture."

"The state of art is very weak at the moment, in repetitions and stereotypes, it sucks up other disciplines,” he said. But not all is bad: at least for him there are two artists in the city he thinks are very good: Wolfgang Tillmans and Hito Steyerl. Never mind the shade, though, as the good director that he is, Dercon is aware that his job is also to galvanise and agitate the system.

Does this mean that Berlin is over? Probably not. Chris Dercon has a vision, and he has an extended concept of culture that he now claim he doesn’t think Berlin is ready for. However, these scathing remarks have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Dercon does have a point: Berlin has long been hindered by bureaucracy, inefficiency and a certain provinciality that will take years overcome.