Overview
- Matthias Lilienthal has been named the new intendant of the Volksbühne and will assume the post on 1 August 2026, when he begins a programmatic reorientation toward performance, dance and international collaboration.
- As an interim measure while the main stage is renovated, Lilienthal will open a lifeguarded, free 25‑metre ‘Volksbad’ on Rosa‑Luxemburg‑Platz from early August through roughly October with public swim days, courses and a casual food stall.
- The pool is presented publicly as both an artistic, performative gesture and an explicit protest about shortages in Berlin’s public swimming and municipal infrastructure, a rationale Lilienthal emphasised at the program announcement.
- The 2026/27 season will rely on reactivated venues and international artists: the restored Prater (Kastanienallee) will host premieres and companies such as Rimini Protokoll, Satoko Ichihara and Florentina Holzinger are among those invited.
- Funding for the Volksbad was described as narrowly secured and the new leadership is phasing out some longstanding formats associated with the Castorf/Pollesch era, making the project’s exact programming and longer‑term budget effects important to watch.