Intendant Simons and the Bochum theater are the winners: critics put this stage in first place, and the play "Oedipus, ruler" performed there as well. What is displeasing is taking place on the other side: the dwindling audience.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - According to critics, the Bochum theater is currently the best theater in North Rhine-Westphalia. The theater run by Johan Simons was voted "Best Theater of the 2021/22 Season" in a poll conducted by "Welt am Sonntag" among theater critics. Simons has been artistic director in Bochum since 2018 and has just extended it until 2025/26. The eight theater critics surveyed work for newspapers, radio, magazines and online.
A director's work by Simons was also voted best production. The play "Oedipus, ruler" based on Sophocles received the most votes. One of the actors in the play, Steven Scharf from Bochum, shares the "Best Actor" award with Christian Friedel, who impressed in "Dorian" at the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus.
Artists and works from the theaters in Bochum, Düsseldorf and Cologne were repeatedly mentioned when praising the productions and actors. Several theater experts liked Rainald Goetz's play "Realm of Death": The production was a co-production of the plays in Cologne and Düsseldorf, directed by the Cologne director Stefan Bachmann. The Theater an der Ruhr Mülheim was also mentioned several times.
The critics found clear words for the consequences of the corona pandemic and awarded "Lemons of the Year": "The loss of audience" was succinctly mentioned and badly rated. It was also criticized that “the theaters are blamed for the corona-related decline in audiences”. However, one critic saw the theaters as having a duty: After the lockdown, they would have knocked out the premieres as if nothing had happened. "The theaters have to face reality in order to convince the audience," said the critic Stefan Keim.
The Dortmund theater also received minus points: It had crashed artistically, said an expert.
