Stéphane Braunschweig (Paris, 1964) studied philosophy at the ENS (Ecole Normale Supérieure), then entered the theatrical academy of the Théâtre National de Chaillot, directed by Antoine Vitez, where he remained two years.
In 1988, after founding his company, Le Théâtre-Machine, he began to present his first productions, reuniting them three years later under a single title, Les Hommes de neige (The Snowmen). This work earns him his first of many prizes : Theatrical Revelation of the Year, bestowed by the Critics' Syndicate. From then on, while being regularly invited by the Festival d’Automne à Paris, he travels extensively, directing plays in Berlin, London or Moscow. He stages his first opera at the Théâtre du Châtelet (then directed by Stéphane Lissner) in 1992.
From 1993 until 1998, Stéphane Braunschweig directs the Centre Dramatique National/Orléans-Loiret-Centre, where he creates a dozen productions which tour across the country and are presented in the greatest festivals (Paris, Avignon, Edimburg, Istanbul or Rome). The Critics' Syndicate distinguishes his production of Ibsen's uncut version of Peer Gynt as Best Production of the Year by a non-Parisian Theatre (the prestigious Georges Lerminier Prize). During the same period, he is often invited abroad : among other works, he creates a Fidelio in Berlin (conducted by Daniel Barenboim) and other operas in Brussels or Venice ; he also directs Shakespeare's Measure for measure in Great Britain, Il Mercanto di Venezia (The Merchant of Venice) at the Piccolo Teatro in Milano, or Büchner's Woyzeck in Munich (Bayerischer Theaterpreis for Best Production of the Year).
Stéphane Braunschweig directs the Théâtre National de Strasbourg (and its academy) during eight years (2000-2008). He introduces new academic formations (directing and staging ; dramaturgy) while upholding the status of the TNS as a crossroads of European theatre. Among several acclaimed productions, his staging of Ibsen's Brand (2005) and of Molière's Tartuffe (2008) both win the Prix Georges Lerminier. During those years, Braunschweig is often invited by the Festival of Aix-en-Provence, where he presents (among other works) a Ring coproduced by the Easter Festival of Salzburg and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Berlin (conducted by Simon Rattle). In December 2008, he stages and directs Verdi's Don Carlos for the season opening of the Scala, in Milano.
As director of the Théâtre National de la Colline (Paris, 2010-2015), Stéphane Braunschweig invites several resident artists (Stanislas Nordey, Célie Pauthe, Caroline Guiela Nguyen), while staging himself Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author (which he translates, adapts and creates at the Festival d'Avignon), or more recently, the Italian playwright's Mountain Giants, as well as several plays by Arne Lygre (a contemporary Norwegian author), or Ibsen's Wild Duck (this last production, which has been invited in Norway by the Ibsen Festival, has run for two consecutives seasons at La Colline). At the opera, he stages Pelléas et Mélisande, by Debussy, for the Opéra-Comique ; Idomeneo and Don Giovanni, by Mozart, or Norma, by Bellini, for the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées.
In January, 2016, President François Hollande has appointed Stéphane Braunschweig director of the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, where he presents his first production, Tennessee William's Suddenly Last Summer, in March 2017.
Stéphane Braunschweig (who has signed over sixty theatrical or operatic productions and stage designs) is also an author and a translator. Petites portes, grands paysages, a collection of essays, texts and conversations on theatre, is published by Actes Sud. He has translated from the original German, Italian or Norwegian plays by Büchner, Kleist, Brecht, Pirandello and Lygre ; his published translations are available at L'Arche.
Odéon 6e
