The problems and pleasures of running a theatre in Berlin: the changing role of the Intendant

The Intendant has played a curious role in German theatre for over a century. Combining artistic direction with the manifold duties of running a theatre, this singular figure is theoretically the crucible of much power and has historically had a profound influence, not only on his or her theatre itself but on the cultural standing of the theatre's town or city, too. The Intendant has moved from authoritarian autocrat to a more open figure in the past fifty years although the position is still amenable to charismatic individuals who are keen to stamp their artistic vision onto their particular theatre. David Barnett interviews two of Berlin's foremost Intendanten, Frank Castorf of the Volksbuhne and Matthias Lilienthal of the Hebbel am Ufer, to compass the dimensions of the role today. The two men offer responses that aim to reconcile the tension between creating engaging theatre and balancing the books in a theatre system whose finances have become more straitened since the reunification of Germany in 1990