Jürgen Kuttner leaves Berlin Volksbühne under new director Matthias Lilienthal (faz.net)

• Jürgen Kuttner ends his video clip lectures at Berlin's Volksbühne after nearly 30 years.
• New director Matthias Lilienthal opens season in August 2026 with a swimming pool and contemporary programming.
• Kuttner's format highlighted East-West systemic tensions in post-reunification Berlin.

"Jürgen Kuttner, who for nearly three decades presented his 'video clip lectures' at Berlin's Volksbühne, is leaving the theatre. The new director Matthias Lilienthal, ending the Frank Castorf era, plans to open the season in August 2026 with a public swimming pool and a focus on contemporary artists such as Florentina Holzinger and Rimini Protokoll, abandoning East-West themes. Kuttner's format juxtaposed eastern irony with post-reunification German consciousness. His departure marks the removal of the last element of East-West confrontation on stage."