Theater Thikwa Has a New Artistic Co-Director

Following an extended selection process that also involved our ensemble, the choice fell on performance artist, festival producer and stage director Mark Schröppel. He succeeds longtime Thikwa director Nicole Hummel and will share responsibility for the theater’s artistic direction alongside Laura Besch starting with the 2026/27 season.

Mark Schröppel studied Applied Theater Studies at Justus Liebig University Giessen and at the Dartington College of Arts. Since 2005, he has directed the Hamburg-based performance group SKART & Masters of the Universe. Working with children, youth and adults at Kampnagel, the group develops multimedia theater projects at the intersection of body art, contemporary dance and intense scenic imagery. With their production “WAR GAMES”, SKART & Masters of the Universe made the longlist for the 2025 Theatertreffen. Additionally, Mark Schröppel has been co-directing the Brechtfestival Augsburg with Sahar Rahimi since 2026.

Theater Thikwa and Mark Schröppel share a long-standing collaborative history. As part of the performance group Monster Truck, he helped devise several works there, including the controversial 2012 production of “Dschingis Khan”. In September 2026, his current music theater production “Früchtchen des Zorns” (together with Dasniya Sommer and Brezel Göring) will premiere at Theater Thikwa.

Laura Besch: “How wonderful that in Mark we have found an artist and festival producer for the co-direction who manages to be innovative, collaborative, subversive and incredibly kind all at once. I am very much looking forward to working together!”

Mark Schröppel: “I am absolutely thrilled to become a part of Theater Thikwa. Together, we will continue to build on established paths to discover unsettlingly beautiful new theatrical territory.”