Lower Austria in female hands

State theater continues round of female artistic directors

New artistic director: Patricia Nickel-Dönicke succeeds Marie Rötzer at the Landestheater Niederösterreich in 2026.

(Bild: Molnar Attila/Attila Molnar)

Full focus on art: Patricia Nickel-Dönicke takes over the reins of the Lower Austrian State Theater in autumn 2026. She will focus on innovative, sensual and political theater for all age groups.

The fourth woman in a row at the helm of the Landestheater Niederösterreich: "This is really something special!" From September 2026, Patricia Nickel-Dönicke will once again be taking over the reins of the successful theater in the heart of St. Pölten as artistic director. At yesterday's handover from the current director Marie Rötzer - who will be moving to the Theater in der Josefstadt for the 2026/2027 season - to her successor, the solidarity between the two was praised with a smile. "With Isabella Suppanz, Bettina Hering and Marie Rötzer, I have three predecessors who have developed the Landestheater Niederösterreich into an impressively successful theater," explains the future artistic director.

Patricia Nickel-Dönicke in conversation with the "Krone".

(Bild: Molnar Attila/Attila Molnar)

But what kind of person will steer the artistic fortunes of the state theater from next year? "Self-critical, quick with my ideas, but also very caring when it comes to the ensemble," says the 45-year-old in the "Krone" interview.

After Kassel, the city on the Traisen will follow from 2026
Born in Potsdam, she loves digging up urban legends, uncovering them and bringing them to the stage. Such as the one from Oberhausen, where a former CIA agent moved her retirement home and was supposed to kill Fidel Castro. Stories like this will also be on show in the Lower Austrian capital from next year. "In my research, many things in St. Pölten have already caught my eye, there's plenty to explore - such as the large cemetery or the city undergoing structural change," says Nickel-Dönicke, describing a personal stylistic device that sets her apart.

About the person

• Born in Potsdam in 1979
• Studied Modern German Literature and Media Studies and Political Science
• Dramaturge at the Städtische Bühnen Osnabrück, Theater Heidelberg, Staatstheater Mainz
• Deputy artistic director and head dramaturge at Theater Oberhausen
• Acting director and chief dramaturge at the Staatstheater Kassel

What was decisive for the move to St. Pölten? The atmosphere in the house, the focus on art, the Austrian humor and the international guest performances are a "gift" for the designated artistic director. The next few months will be excitingly creative. 

Lots of plans for children, young people and more ensemble
The German already has some ideas in her luggage that she would like to implement during her directorship: for example, opening up the children's and youth theater to young audiences from the age of two (also with the Wiener Neustadt City Theater), discovering special city stories, enabling interdisciplinary productions with dance and opera elements, but also expanding the ensemble - if funding allows - and, above all, more inclusive theater. "I like an ensemble that can do, live and assert something else - perhaps sometimes a little more offbeat," says Nickel-Dönicke.

Family move to St. Pölten
She has already laid her personal foundation in Austria with her master's thesis on Elfriede Jelinek. "In addition, artists and playwrights are valued very differently here than in Germany. That is very special," says the new artistic director.