Johan Simons (born 1 September 1946) is a Dutch

theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

. Simons received his education at the Rotterdam Dance Academy and the

Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts The Toneelacademie Maastricht, institute of performative arts is a college of dramatic arts located in the city of Maastricht in the Netherlands. It is part of the Zuyd University (Zuyd Hogeschool). The school is housed in a former Protestant orph ...

. He also taught directing in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

for a number of years. Since 2000, Simons has received international recognition for his directing. He has been regularly invited as a guest director for leading German-language theatre companies, including the

Schauspielhaus Zürich The Schauspielhaus Zürich ( en, Zürich playhouse) is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three s ...

, the Schauspielhaus Stuttgart, the

Ruhrtriennale The Ruhrtriennale (compound of ''Ruhr'' and ''triennale'' "lasting 3 years"), also known as Ruhr Triennale, was founded in 2002 and is a music and arts festival in the Ruhr-area of Germany which runs between mid-August and mid-October, and happens ...

, and the Münchner Kammerspiele. In addition to directing plays, he has directed several operas, including Verdi's

Simon Boccanegra ''Simon Boccanegra'' () is an opera with a prologue and three acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based on the play ''Simón Bocanegra'' (1843) by Antonio García Gutiérrez, whose play ''El trovador'' had b ...

at the

Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille (, "Bastille Opera House") is a modern opera house in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand's '' Grands Travaux'', it became the main facility of the Paris Nat ...

in 2006 and Mozart's Il Seraglio at the

De Nederlandse Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, a m ...

in 2008. Simons was appointed artistic director of the Münchner Kammerspiele in 2010. He was the director of the

from 2015 to 2017. Simons caused controversy by directing a play in Austria in 2015 called "Die Neger" ("The Negroes"), which used blackface, prompting protests and accusations of racism.

Europe Theatre Prize

In 2000, Johan Simons and Paul Koek received the Europe Prize Theatrical Realities awarded to the Hollandia Theatergroep, with the following motivation:

The Hollandia Theatergroep, founded in 1985 by choreographer/director Johan Simons and composer/director Paul Koek, holds an important position in the Dutch theatre world. From the outset the group's plays have been distinguished by their ensemble dimension and by their capacity to become integrated with places outside the usual theatre circuits. The Hollandia Theatergroep has devoted itself to theatrical research without ever disassociating itself from a strong participation in current social and political debates. The Hollandia Theatergroep has based its exploration of language on famous texts, especially ancient and modern tragedies, but also on non-theatrical literary motifs. In addition, the group has developed a mix of languages that permits it to perform within the sphere of the theatre, dance and the most sophisticated musical expressions. The Hollandia Theatergroep's appeal lies in the variety of fields it explores and in the poetical power of its performances that are charged with unusual polemical force. The group deserves European and international acclaim. It is exceptional.

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* 1946 births Living people Dutch theatre directors Codarts University for the Arts alumni Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin People from Heerjansdam {{theat-director-stub