Photo Credit: Jubal Battisti
Berlin’s tradition of boundary-pushing is perhaps best seen on stage. From experimental performance art pieces at HAU to tightly choreographed mayhem at the Volksbühne, Berlin audiences have to be ready for anything and everything. But tradition runs deep in the theatres of the city as well, putting countless operas and ballets in the spotlight, alongside some more modern interpretations of classic storylines. We’ve curated a list of the next most interesting productions on in Berlin, ranging from more traditional pieces to performances that defy categorisation and bring you along with them into a world of in-betweeness.
We order our listings with what’s coming up next at the top. That way, you’ll never miss out.
Pulse – a dialogue of interests
Photo Credit: Barbara Dietl
DANCE What happens when you combine two different disciplines in one show? Can the performers find a mutual vocabulary? This is exactly what Álvaro Murillo and Sita Ostheimer aim to achieve. Using traditional flamenco and contemporary dance, together they explore the limits of their individual practices, searching for that sweet spot where two become one. They duo will also be hosting a workshop that dives deep into their practices and joint methods before the premiere.
Nureyev
DANCE Few ballets are as inherently political as this masterpiece. Based on the life of the great Russian dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev, it draws on his artistic prowess and uncompromising will to freedom. Dropped by the Bolshoi Theatre in 2022 for violating LGBTQIA* censorship laws, it’s the first time the ballet has been performed outside of Russia.
Deutsche Oper, through Apr 26, details
Orlando
THEATRE Orlando, the literary hero-heroine at the heart of Virginia Woolf’s queer masterpiece, defies categorisation and challenges rigid normativity. Brit duo Katie Birch and Alice Birch have adapted Woolf’s groundbreaking novel into an impressive show, masterfully combining stage performance with live video. Come see it to believe it.
Festival International New Drama (FIND)
Sabat Mater, photo credit: André Cherri
THEATRE Since 2000, the Festival International New Drama (FIND) at the Schaubühne has brought international theatre productions to Berlin, focusing on contemporary playwriting that introduces both established directors and emerging voices to local audiences. This year, the 11-day festival features artists from Brazil, Canada, Greece, Great Britain, Italy and Norway, and each edition places a particular focus on a prominent artist. For this edition, the spotlight falls on British director Katie Mitchell, whose work has long been associated with the Schaubühne. Her production of Bluets, based on the prose text by Maggie Nelson and adapted for the stage by Irish playwright Margaret Perry, will be performed with the Schaubühne ensemble. Another highlight is Stabat Mater by Brazilian artist Janaina Leite. The piece, which also stars her mother, explores the relationship of perpetrator and victim through a cultural-historical lens, questioning concepts of desire, pleasure and femininity.
Spooky Paradise
Photo Credit: imago images/McPHOTO
THEATRE Philippe Quesne and his performance collective Vivarium Studio will arrive in Berlin to premiere its latest work, Spooky Paradise, at the Volksbühne, which will be their first production at the venue. Details about the production remain largely under wraps, but Quesne has hinted towards its direction. “From the moment I was first invited by the playwrights at the Volksbühne, I thought back to the atmosphere of a film that was very important in my career: Federico Fellini’s Intervista. It was one of his last films, shot in the Italian Hollywood, Cinecittà. He takes us on a journey, with infinite tenderness and nostalgia, through the chronicles of life in a film studio and behind the scenes, surrounded by actors from his historical family before the arrival of private television in Italy. The Volksbühne has always reminded me of a great historical circus – an atmosphere between magic and melancholy, my favourite themes.” Expect Quesne’s signature alchemy: the mundane tipping into the magical, immersive scenography and an atmospheric utopia, brought to life by a cast that includes Berlin stage legend Kathrin Angerer.
Four Non Blondes
Kyle Kidd, Lisa Rykena, Sophie Prins, Shelmith Øseth and Mariana Tzouda, photo credit: Dieter Hartwig
DANCE Not to be confused by the ‘90s alt rock group 4 Non Blondes (for the older millennials amongst us), this choreographic concert explores political narratives and personal experiences, diving into the various nuances and ambivalences surrounding blondness. The cast (obviously all non-blondes) touch upon the cultural history and significance of this particular hair colour, using elements of digital theatre and song. Maybe they’ll answer that timeless question: do blondes have more fun?
Radialsystem, Apr 30-May 5, details
NOISE
Photo Credit: Bart Grietens
OPERA Rotterdam-based collective Club Gewalt will arrive at Neuköllner Oper with the premiere of NOISE. Known for their idiosyncratic performance style – delightfully playful, fiercely political and never afraid to embrace full cringe – the group have built a reputation for gleefully dismantling expectations. Their past productions include feminist punk Christmas musicals, killjoy operas about institutional racism and slut pop concerts, so it’s fair to say that nothing is off the table. Their latest work dives head-first into the apocalyptic mood of our current moment: climate collapse, the rise of fascism and the ever-present spectre of war. Returning to opera as their chosen vehicle, the ensemble join forces in song, attempting to rise above the noise and sift through the wreckage of contemporary life. But the production isn’t simply a doom-scroll played out in 3-D. Beneath the drama sits a surprisingly earnest message, one as old as time: that love, in all of its messy and magnificent forms, might still outlast hate. We caught up with the members of the collective between rehearsals; they collectively answered our questions about how NOISE is taking shape and what Berlin audiences can expect from this gloriously catastrophic performance opera.
Neuköllner Oper, Apr 16-May 7, details
Drei Schwestern
STAGE Anton Chekov’s famous play is a tale of nostalgia and longing for a time that no longer exists. Reimagined by Slovenian director Mateja Koležnik, she swaps Chekov’s provincial backdrop for a military zone. It’s here that the three sisters wrestle with the past and the ever-deepening cracks in their realities. Potent stuff.
Berliner Ensemble; Apr 23, May 9-10; details
La Traviata
Photo Credit: Iko Freese / drama-berlin.de
OPERA If you’re craving 2 hours and 40 minutes of sweeping grandeur and exquisite drama, few things deliver like an Italian masterpiece. Based on the romantic novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils, adapted into opera by Giuseppe Verdi in 1853, this timeless classic follows a Parisian courtesan as she navigates terminal illness alone, drifting between escapist fantasy and reality. ‘La Traviate’ translates to ‘the fallen woman’, after all.
Komische Oper, Apr 18-May 17, details
Marina Abramović: Balkan Erotic Epic. The stage version
Marina Abramović, Courtesy of the Marina Abramović Archives / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2026
PERFORMANCE ART On April 15, the self-proclaimed “grandmother of performance art”, Marina Abramović, will arrive at Gropius Bau with her new work Balkan Erotic Epic. The Exhibition. The cross-genre project marks Abramović’s first solo exhibition in Berlin since the 1990s. It serves as both a stand-alone exhibition and a precursor to Balkan Erotic Epic, the stage adaptation of the same name to be performed at Berliner Festspiele this October. As a leading figure of performance art since the 1970s, and one of the first women to define the field, Abramović has built a career around endurance, vulnerability and the body as artistic medium. Now, months before her 80th birthday, Abramović describes the new work as “the most ambitious project of my career”.
Berliner Festspiele, Oct 14-17, details