Obituary: Theater Bremen Director Michael Börgerding Dies at 64

By Francisco Salazar
(Credit: Theater Bremen)

On Jan 12, 2025, General Intendant of Theater Bremen Michael Börgerding died at the age of 64.

He died of a serious illness.

Born in Lohne/Oldenburg in 1960, Börgerding studied German, sociology, and philosophy at the University of Göttingen.

He became a dramaturg and director at the Junges Theater Göttingen and later worked as a dramaturg at the Lower Saxony State Theater in Hanover. He would later become the chief dramaturg and member of the management at the Thalia Theater Hamburg and taught in Hanover and Hamburg.

During the 2012-13 season, he became the General Intendant of Theater Bremen  and led it “with wisdom and foresight, artistic curiosity, passion and humanity.”  The theater noted he “was an approachable director, a deeply lovable person, a great humanist.”

In a statement, State Councilor for Culture Carmen Emigholz said, “Michael Börgerding was a stroke of luck for the Bremen Theater. He managed – supported by his colleague Michael Helmbold – to bring our cultural flagship into safe waters after a serious crisis. He sought conversation and explored his scope for action with great sensitivity to the social conditions. Michael Börgerding didn’t take himself too seriously, but good production conditions for his artists even more so. And he was a passionate supporter of artistic freedom. We agreed on these basic attitudes. And that made it easier for us to work together. I am very grateful for the many years of constructive and enormously productive work together, which were characterized by friendly, appreciative cooperation, and I am very sad about his loss. Bremen owes him a lot.”

Categories

News