September is when Berlin’s theater stages spring back to life, and if you like your drama progressive and contemporary, the Maxim Gorki Theater is one of the go-tos. The playhouse in Mitte is once again bringing fresh energy to the theatrical status quo with another round of premieres and perennial favorites (all of these come with English surtitles). Here are our top picks from the 2024/25 season, starting with director Oliver Frljić’s fresh take on Kafka’s Prozess (“The Trial”). Premiering on 21.09, the production draws intriguing parallels between Kafka’s bureaucratic nightmare and contemporary power structures, lending the classic tale some late-capitalist relevance. The following week is the world premiere of Wiedergutmachungsjude, the stage adaptation of poet Daniel Arkadij Gerzenberg’s book of the same name (27.09. Studio Я). An intimate exploration of trauma and identity, the work is part of the Fяemde Poesie series of staged poetry. Onto October and another premiere: Linkerhand, a play that follows the story of Franziska Linkerhand, a young East German architect who rejects her bourgeois roots to pursue socialist ideals in a model city. This journey through disillusionment premieres on 18.10.
Besides first runs, Gorki is also welcoming back audience favorites like In My Room, a play by director and author Falk Richter and Ensemble which dissects modern masculinity and won a nomination at the 45th Mülheimer Theatertage in 2020. This introspective, provocative production returns on 11.10. You can check out the full program and get tickets on the Gorki website.
Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Nils Tammer, Judith Buss & Gorki
Maxim Gorki Theater, Am Festungsgraben 2, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map
See the full program online.
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