Frank Hilbrich

Frank Hilbrich, born in Bremen, has made a name for himself as a musical theatre director through his work at numerous theatres and opera houses in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. In addition to major works from the repertoire, he regularly stages world premieres and contributes to the development of new plays and formats. His recent productions that have attracted considerable attention include his staging of Ludger Vollmer’s *Rummelplatz* (world premiere 2025) at the Chemnitz Theatre and Fritz Kreisler’s *Sissy* during the 25/26 winter season at the Bremen Theatre.

Frank Hilbrich gained significant inspiration during his time as an assistant director at the Stuttgart State Opera under the artistic direction of Klaus Zehelein and through his collaboration with Hans Neuenfels. His first directing projects followed at the Lucerne Theatre and as chief director at the Schwerin State Theatre. From 2002 to 2022, he worked on a freelance basis, including for the Basel Theatre, the Bregenz Festival, the Semperoper Dresden, the Aalto Theatre in Essen, Graz Opera, the Komische Oper Berlin, the State Theatres in Mainz and Saarbrücken, the National Theatres in Mannheim and Weimar, and the Budapest State Opera. He had very close ties to the Freiburg Theatre under Barbara Mundel, where a complete ‘Ring of the Nibelung’ was staged under his direction, and to the Hanover State Opera under Michael Klügl and the Freiburg Theatre under Barbara Mundel.

In addition to his work as a director, he has been a professor of stage direction at the Berlin University of the Arts since 2013. Since his appointment in 2022 as Chief Director of Musical Theatre and a member of the artistic management team at the Bremen Theatre, his teaching duties have been suspended.

At the start of the 26/27 season, Frank Hilbrich will become General Director at the MiR and will stage “Tosca” and “The Love for the Three Oranges” this season.