Theater Icon Wolfgang Engel Passes Away at 81

The celebrated director, known for his political metaphors and groundbreaking productions, left a lasting legacy in East Germany and beyond.

Wolfgang Engel, a prominent theater director and former Intendant of Schauspiel Leipzig, died on March 7, 2025, at the age of 81 in Leipzig.
Engel was renowned for his work at Staatsschauspiel Dresden, where he directed the acclaimed DDR premiere of Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' and other politically charged productions.
He maintained a critical distance from the East German regime, famously declining the DDR National Prize in 1989.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Engel served as Intendant at Schauspiel Leipzig from 1995 to 2008, staging ambitious productions like a seven-hour 'Faust' and an eight-hour 'Wallenstein.'
Honored with the German Theater Prize 'Der Faust' for his lifetime achievements in 2011, Engel continued directing and performing well into his later years.