Not Quite ‘Good Bye Berlin’: Constanza Macras Finds a New Artistic Home
The announcement that Constanza Macras and her renowned company Dorky Park will be moving to the Maxim Gorki Theater marks a pivotal moment for Berlin’s vibrant, yet often tumultuous, dance and theater landscape. While this resolution brings an end to the uncertainty surrounding Macras’s artistic future, it also casts a critical light on the complexities and political maneuvering within the city’s cultural institutions. This move, effective from November, is not merely a change of venue; it is a testament to the resilience of artists and the ongoing struggle for stable artistic homes in a city grappling with shifting cultural policies.
The Unnecessary Drama: A Missed Opportunity for Collaboration?
One might have envisioned a more harmonious transition. Imagine a joint press release last November from the new artistic directors of both the Volksbühne and the Maxim Gorki Theater, proudly announcing Macras’s transfer from Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz to Museum Island. They could have declared, with chests puffed out, that “Dance is a crucial element of Berlin’s theater scene and will be broadly supported by this transition: Florentina Holzinger and Marlene Montero Freitas will work at the Volksbühne, and Constanza Macras will open a new chapter at the Maxim Gorki Theater. The Berlin dance scene can thus look confidently towards a strengthened future.” Such a scenario, accompanied by metaphorical pink cotton candy for all, would have showcased Berlin’s theater leadership as solution-oriented, capable of looking beyond individual stages, even amidst the Senate’s disastrous, budget-cutting cultural policies. Some would have criticized, others cheered, but all would have emerged relatively unscathed. But this, alas, is real Berlin, where, when in doubt, nothing ever works smoothly.
Alpha Males or Alpha Females? The Power Play Behind the Scenes
Instead, the seasoned theater veteran Matthias Lilienthal, then director of the Volksbühne, publicly asserted his dominance. In October, just in time for the premiere of “Good Bye Berlin,” he unceremoniously showed Constanza Macras the door via a media interview. This was not a mistake; Lilienthal is well-versed in Berlin’s theater games, familiar with the Volksbühne, having spent considerable time at HAU and as an artistic director in Munich. He had already appointed Holzinger and Freitas to his (advisory) leadership committee, and apparently, there was no room for a third choreographer. The question of who initiated this ousting is moot; either the old white man dismissed her, or the two new choreographers demonstrated that artistic solidarity only stretches so far when it comes to sharing the dance space within a theater. The tabloid-esque image of a catfight loomed large. That public solidarity sided with Macras is clear. However, Holzinger, at least, seems largely unaffected, now firmly integrated into the international performance art jet set. To what extent she will have the capacity to contribute more than just herself to the Volksbühne remains to be seen. Lilienthal, in any case, must contend with the specter of irrelevance that has haunted the Volksbühne since René Pollesch’s death – some would even argue since Castorf’s departure.
A Perspective for Macras: A Smaller Solution, but a Solution Nonetheless
For Constanza Macras, at least, there is now a clear path forward. Çaĝla Ilk, the new director of the Maxim Gorki Theater, has stepped in as a knight in shining armor to rescue the fallen heroine. She offers Dorky Park a new home, aiming to reposition the theater with a curatorial approach that oscillates between art, performance, and traditional theater. Chris Dercon failed with a similar concept at the Volksbühne – now it’s being tried on a smaller scale at the Maxim Gorki. While this is undoubtedly a second-best solution for Macras and her company, given the significantly smaller stage and audience capacity, which will inevitably have consequences, a stable roof over one’s head is invaluable. For Ilk, this entire saga is not only a coup but also significantly less risky. Macras brings not only a firmly established audience base, which can then be drawn to other formats at the theater, but also substantial funding from the Berlin Senate: a clear win-win situation.
Meanwhile, the Volksbühne is planning to build a swimming pool in front of the theater. Whether Florentina Holzinger will ride her Venetian jet ski in it remains to be seen. One can only hope that such discord does not lead to the entire Berlin dance and theater world going down the drain.
Source: https://www.tanznetz.de/de/article/2026/constanza-macras-wechselt-ans-maxim-gorki-ein-kommentar
