Landestheater Niederösterreich opens new season with Brecht production

Patricia Nickel-Dönicke has launched her tenure as artistic director at the Landestheater Niederösterreich with a production of Bertolt Brecht’s “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.” The premiere features the full ensemble and involves eleven different directors.

Nickel-Dönicke, a former citizen of the GDR, expressed concern regarding the political relevance of the play. She noted that the themes of the historical farce, which examines the mechanisms of fascist ideologies, resonate with current political developments in both Austria and parts of Germany. She described feeling a sense of shame regarding recent political shifts in eastern Germany and noted the unsettling parallels between the play’s themes and contemporary societal trends.