Join us for an extraordinary morning coffee with two exceptional figures of European theatre — Bartosz Szydłowski, Artistic Director of Divine Comedy, and Matthias Lilienthal, one of the most influential voices of contemporary German theatre.
In a relaxed atmosphere, with English interpretation, we will talk about the things usually discussed off the record: backstage emotions, fears and frictions within the field, and everything that truly electrifies the Polish, German and European stage today.
What trembles in the theatrical web? What is coming — and what are we still afraid to say out loud? What troubles, dreams and complaints shape the daily reality of theatre-makers, from economics to generations, from therapy to criticism?
Join us for a conversation that — while informal — may well become one of the most meaningful encounters of this year’s festival.
Hosted by Łukasz Drewniak.
Matthias Lilienthal
Matthias Lilienthal began his career as a dramaturg at Theater Basel, collaborating with Frank Castorf and Christoph Marthaler. He then joined Berlin’s Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, serving as chief dramaturg and bringing in artists such as Christoph Schlingensief and Johann Kresnik.
He directed the international festival Theater der Welt in 2002 (Rhine Valley) and 2014 (Mannheim), and headed Berlin’s HAU Hebbel am Ufer throughout the 2000s — a period during which the theatre was twice named “Theatre of the Year” by the critics’ poll of Theater heute.
From 2015 to 2020 he led the Münchner Kammerspiele, transforming the stage into a hybrid of municipal theatre and production house. The theatre was again distinguished twice as “Theatre of the Year” during his tenure. Since 2020, Lilienthal has worked as a festival curator (including the project This is not Lebanon at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm), dramaturg, lecturer and actor.
Bartosz Szydłowski
Born in 1968 in Wrocław, Bartosz Szydłowski studied film at the Jagiellonian University and theatre directing at the PWST (now AST) in Kraków.
In 1996 he founded the Theatre Association “Łaźnia”, an independent stage that from its very beginnings engaged in interdisciplinary cultural work, social and educational projects, and strong local community involvement.
Since 2004 he has been the co-founder and director of the Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Kraków, as well as the initiator and Artistic Director of the Divine Comedy International Theatre Festival (est. 2008). His work consistently combines theatre with social and civic reflection, creating projects rooted in local engagement.
He is also the co-creator of the House of Utopia – International Centre of Empathy.
Recipient of the Józef Dietl Award (2009) and the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2025).
Photo of Matthias Lilienthal by Henning Schlottmann, CC BY-SA 4.0.
