Joanna Lewicka: New acting director in Schwerin thrilled!

Joanna Lewicka: New acting director in Schwerin thrilled!

The theater scene in Schwerin can be happy: Joanna Lewicka, an innovative and creative director, will take over the position of acting director at the Mecklenburg State Theater from the 2026/27 season. Born in Silesia in 1980 and raised in Baden-Württemberg, she already has an impressive resume that has made her known in many countries in recent years through extraordinary projects. Nina Steinhilber will continue to head the acting department until she takes office, which will make the transition period exciting.

Lewicka's work is not only highly regarded locally. Her production of “A Midsummer Night's Dream” with prison inmates and professional actors was named cultural event of the year in Lublin by “Gazeta Wyborcza” in 2012. She has also taken her theater projects and festivals to Cambodia, Lithuania, Italy, Greece, Belarus and the Ukraine. She was awarded the “Der Faust” theater prize in 2022 for her production of “Antigone” at the Plauen-Zwickau Theater. Hans-Georg Wegner, general director of the State Theater, finds that Lewicka is an “extraordinarily exciting artistic personality”.

Current topics in the theater

For her first piece at the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater, Lewicka might intend to begin with Ferdinand Bruckner's work “Illness of Youth.” Published in 1926, this drama describes a generation that has difficulty making commitments and is instead looking for closeness and love. The plot is about a complex relationship between the students Marie, Petrell, Irene, Desiree and Freder and addresses violence, seduction and power games under the influence of drugs and alcohol. At a party to celebrate Marie's promotion, the group finds itself in emotional chaos, which underlines the youth's search for meaning and support.

The themes of Bruckner's piece are more relevant than ever. Lewicka's approach to staging old and new works in a fresh way could bring a breath of fresh air to Schwerin's theater landscape. Her testing, even in difficult social contexts, suggests that she is ready to break taboos and explore deeper questions about human relationships.

The chairman of the Mecklenburg State Theater may have hit the jackpot with Lewicka's appointment, as her ability to move people on both an emotional and social level speaks for an exciting future. “Illness of Youth” would fit only too well into your repertoire and illuminate the challenges of intimacy and identity in our time.

While we look forward to the new beginning next year, it remains to be seen what creative impulses Joanna Lewicka will provide in Schwerin. What is certain, however, is that with her impressive background and her feel for complex topics, she inspires viewers and makes them think.

For further information about Joanna Lewicka's projects and her work, visit Süddeutsche and Illness of the Youth.

You can also get additional insights into the topic via the detailed analysis on utheses.