Hermann Schmidt-Rahmer, as both author and director, reflects on the social and political landscapes of the present. His work explores the intersection between documentary material and popular entertainment. Texts and productions such as “gespenster des kapitals”, based on Balzac, or “ich habe nichts zu verbergen / my life with big data” examine the social psychology of financial and data flows. Schmidt-Rahmer has created works for Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, Schauspiel Bochum, Theater Basel, Schauspiel Frankfurt, and the Volksbühne in Berlin. With Elfriede Jelinek’s “Rechnitz (Der Würgeengel)”, he was nominated for the German theatre award Der Faust. Schmidt-Rahmer is Professor of Scenic Arts at the Berlin University of the Arts. In 2023, his textbook “Change the Pattern” was published. With his production of BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ Hermann Schmidt-Rahmer returns to Schauspiel Köln after many years.