Hellmuth Matiasek

Hellmuth Matiasek (; 15 May 1931 – 7 April 2022; also spelled Helmuth) was an Austrian theatre and film director, theatre manager and teacher. He founded a small avant-garde theatre in Vienna at age 22. After working at the Salzburger Landestheater as stage director, he became the company's intendant (managing director) in 1962, then the youngest intendant in German-speaking theatre. From 1983 to 1996, he was intendant of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, where he co-founded and later managed the drama school Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding. He was close to the composer Carl Orff, and managed the Carl Orff-Festspiele Andechs.

Life Education Born in Vienna, Matiasek studied acting at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna as well as theatre studies, musicology, German studies and philosophy at the University of Vienna. He completed his studies in 1958 with the promotion about Komik eines Clowns to Dr.phil.

Theatre In 1953, Matiasek founded the avant-garde student theatre Kaleidoskop in Vienna (later: Atelier-Theater), and acted as its director. From 1962, he worked as director at the Salzburger Landestheater

Teaching activities and memberships Matiasek was director of the Otto-Falckenberg-Schule in Munich from 1972 to 1978. He co-founded the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding in 1993, Matiasek was a member of the supervisory board of the Bundestheater-Holding and was program advisory board of the European Forum Alpbach.

Personal life

Matiasek was married from 1967, in second marriage, with the actress Cornelia Froboess. They settled in the countryside in Rosenheim.

Matiasek died in Rosenheim on 7 April 2022, at the age of 90.

Publications Matiasek wrote the libretto for a musical mystery play Das Salzburger Spiel vom verloren Sohn, about the Prodigal Son, based on old sources. With music by Wilfried Hiller for soloist, choir, children's choir and instrumental ensemble, it was published by Schott. The world premiere at the Kollegienkirche in Salzburg on 4 October 2015 was conducted by .

Honours In 1963 Matiasek was awarded the Austrian Theaterdirektoren-Preis,