Joanna Lewicka: New acting director in Schwerin from 2026!

Joanna Lewicka: New acting director in Schwerin from 2026!

A breath of fresh air is emerging in the theater business in the heart of Schwerin. From the 2026/27 season, the German-Polish theater director Joanna Lewicka will head the drama department of the Mecklenburg State Theater. This announcement causes excitement and anticipation, how stern.de reported.

Joanna Lewicka, born in Silesia in 1980 and raised in Baden-Württemberg, has an impressive career that has taken her to numerous countries. Her production projects can be admired not only in Germany, but also in countries such as Cambodia, Lithuania, Italy, Greece, Belarus and Ukraine. Particularly noteworthy is her production of “Midsummer Night's Dream” in Lublin, which was impressively realized in 2012 with prison inmates and professional actors. This project was recognized as Cultural Event of the Year.

A look at the successes

Lewicka's work has not gone unnoticed. In 2024 she received the renowned German Theater Prize DER FAUST for her magnificent production of “Antigone” at the Plauen-Zwickau Theater. The Stanislaw Hebanowski Theater Prize, which she won in 2019, also testifies to her skills and vision for the theater. The German Theater Prize, which has been awarded in a total of 12 categories since 2022, aims to honor outstanding artistic achievements in German theater and make diversity visible derfaust-theaterpreis.de explained.

Her dance productions on T.S. remain unforgettable. Elliot based and selected for the Polish dance platform 2022 and 2024. Her theater work has also appeared on Polish television and radio, which has allowed her to reach a wider audience. As a scholarship holder from the Berlin Senate and the Polish Ministry of Culture, she has made a significant contribution to contemporary developments in the theater landscape.

Takeover date and transition phase

From August 2026, Joanna Lewicka will enrich the management team of the Mecklenburg State Theater with her creative wealth of ideas. Until then, her predecessor, Nina Steinhilber, will remain at the head of the acting department in Schwerin and will manage the transition period. General director Hans-Georg Wegner is full of confidence about the collaboration with Lewicka and sees her as an exceptionally exciting artistic personality who will inspire the ensemble and the audience.

The theater landscape in Schwerin can look forward to the coming developments. Joanna Lewicka not only brings a wide range of experiences, but also a very unique vision that could lead the Mecklenburg State Theater to new creative heights. The anticipation for their first season is already palpable.