Hasko Weber new artistic director of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden

Hasko Weber is to become the new artistic director of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. He will take up his post in the 2027/2028 season and succeed Joachim Klement. Saxony's Minister of Culture Barbara Klepsch (CDU) praised Weber at his presentation. "He is one of the most experienced artistic directors in the German-speaking world and knows Dresden and the Staatsschauspiel extremely well thanks to his many years of service." Weber is an "excellent mediator and communicator who emphasizes what connects the most diverse positions and thus earns a lot of respect from all sides."

Weber has previously worked in theater in his hometown

Weber (62) comes from Dresden and studied acting in Leipzig in the 1980s. His first engagement took him to Chemnitz, then still Karl-Marx-Stadt, in 1989. In 1991, he moved to the Schauspiel in Dresden, where he later also worked as head director. He then worked as a director and artistic director at the Staatstheater Stuttgart and as general director and managing director of the Deutsches Nationaltheater in Weimar. In August 2025, he took over the Staatstheater Cottbus for a one-year interim directorship.

The search committee received 17 applications

Weber was introduced to the staff of the Staatstheater before signing his contract. At that moment, it was clear to her that Weber was a good choice, Minister Klepsch admitted. The future artistic director had been received with great joy. There had been 17 applications for the position. She was pleased that the selection committee had reached a unanimous decision. With Weber, the Staatsschauspiel will have good continuity. "We can look to the future with confidence."

Commitment to ensemble theater

Weber made a commitment to ensemble theater. The Staatsschauspiel Dresden is a great ensemble theater. It is important to build on this and maintain the level.

Weber also has the opportunity to stage a production himself in his job as artistic director in Dresden. "But that's not a set option. I will take a back seat as a director because I think that the job as artistic director must take center stage." A generational change is also on the cards. "I would then see myself more as an artistic director than a director."

It is clear to Weber that work in Dresden will not be easy in the future in view of tight state finances. "I take this very seriously. On the other hand, the discussions about financing cultural institutions are cyclically intense." He is already experiencing the third round of this. But it is also clear: "If everything stays as it is, then we won't get anywhere."