Jessica Weisskirchen

- began her theater career as an assistant director at the Heidelberg Theater and Orchestra and later moved to the National Theater in Mannheim. There she staged her first productions during her time as an assistant (DIE TONIGHT, LIVE FOREVER, and DAS PRINZIP NOSFERATU by Sivan Ben Yishai, 2020) and as a director (EIN KÖRPER FÜR JETZT UND HEUTE by Mehdi Moradpour, 2021).

In 2022, she opened the season at the Theater Dortmund with WOYZECK. In 2023, she opened the season at the ‘Box’ at the Deutsches Theater Berlin with EDWARD II - DIE LIEBE BIN ICH.

She is the founder of the assistierenden-netzwerk and a board member of ensemble-netzwerk e.V. She is the initiator and founder of the assistant’s festival SUMMER UP and a jury member for the process funding program of the Fonds Darstellende Künste.

In 2022, she successfully completed the Master of Arts program in Theater and Orchestra Management at the HfMDK in Frankfurt am Main. As part of her master’s thesis, she conducted a study on the working conditions of assistants in the German-speaking theater world.

In 2023, the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft published the anthology “Systemkritik! Essays für eine Kulturpolitik der Transformation” (System Criticism! Essays for a Cultural Policy of Transformation) featuring her article “Nur die Bretter, die die Welt bedeuten” (Only the Boards That Make Up the World).

In 2023, as a member of the jury (category “Municipal Theaters and State Theaters”), she awarded the 2023 Federal Theater Prize and had the honor of reading the laudatory speech.

During the 2023–2024 season, she worked at the Deutsches Theater Berlin (EDWARD II by Ewald Palmetshofer), the Schauspiel Dortmund (QUEENS, based on Friedrich Schiller), the Volkstheater München (MARIA MADGA by Svenja Viola Bundgarten), and the Staatstheater Darmstadt (JEEPS by Nora Abdel-Maksoud).

During the 2024–2025 season, she directed at the Schauspiel Hannover (MOBY DICK). In 25/26, she will open the new season at the Staatstheater Nürnberg with the world premiere of DIE ERSTE LIEBE HÄLT 5 JAHRE, work at the Schauspiel Dortmund (PIDOR & DER WOLF), and at the Thalia Theater Hamburg (JESSIS NACH(T)BAR & DER KÖNIG STIRBT).