Maria Theresia 

Dieter Falk

Music, orchestration, arrangements, musical supervision

The Düsseldorf composer and pianist Dieter Falk has won multiple Echo awards for his record productions for artists such as PUR, Patricia Kaas, Roger Chapman and Paul Young. Over 50 gold and platinum awards testify to his outstanding career in the music industry. As a pianist, he was awarded the Jazz Award for his solo album Celebrate Bach. Falk was a jury member on Pro7's ‘Popstars’ for two years and discovered the girl band ‘Monrose’. In 2009, Michael Kunze brought him into the musical business. Together they wrote the musicals 10 GEBOTE, LUTHER and BETHLEHEM, which reached over 400,000 spectators and started the German choir boom. Their musical MOSES ran for two years at the Theater St. Gallen and was a hit with audiences. Falk composed KENNST DU DEN MYTHOS, the anniversary musical for Schalke 04, for the MiR Gelsenkirchen. As musical director, he played a key role in the show ‘Nacht der Chöre’ on RTL, which featured artists such as Johannes Oerding, Michael Patrick Kelly and Revolverheld. Since 2024, Falk has been directing stadium singing at Borussia Dortmund and arranging Christmas carols in a pop style for 70,000 fans. He has also been a professor at the music academies in Düsseldorf and Regensburg since 2013, where he passes on his experience to the next generation. His diverse work combines classical, pop and musical-oriented compositions and makes him an influential voice in the German music landscape.

Paul Falk

Music

Paul Falk is a renowned German songwriter and music producer. At 28, he is one of the most promising young talents in the industry and has already worked with international artists such as Helene Fischer, Roland Kaiser, Heino and DJ Ötzi. His Düsseldorf-based hit factory is home to successful projects such as REVELLE and OSIS, which have millions of streams on Spotify. With over 250 million streams, several gold and platinum awards and chart-topping hits, Paul Falk is one of the leading composers and producers in the German-speaking world. He began acting and voice acting at a young age, studied acting in Cologne and took acting masterclasses in New York and Los Angeles. As a musician, he gained experience as a keyboardist and singer in the family band ‘Falk & Sons,’ with whom he released two albums. In 2016, he wrote the choir musical LUTHER together with his father and librettist Michael Kunze, which thrilled over 30,000 singers in 2017. This was followed in 2023 by the choir musical BETHLEHEM, which premiered in Düsseldorf with a mega choir of 3,000 performers. In the same year, he founded his own record label, Everglow Records, to provide a platform for young talent.

Jonathan Zelter

Lyrics

Words that stay. Jonathan Zelter writes songs that touch people. In 2015, he wrote ‘Ein Teil von meinem Herzen’ (A Part of My Heart), which was not only his debut single but also a song that has, over time, become a modern classic – over 20 million views on YouTube alone and numerous cover versions demonstrate its timeless relevance. But Zelter doesn't just write for himself, he also writes for others: he wrote ‘Zuversicht’ and ‘Achtung und Respekt’ for Roland Kaiser, among others – songs that have been sung in front of over 40,000 people in sold-out stadiums. His work has been awarded gold and platinum several times and is part of several number one albums in Germany and Austria. Artists such as Mary Roos and Peggy March (‘I Will Follow Him’) also trust his signature style. In 2025, the songwriter will start the year with two top positions in the Austrian album charts, go on a major tour of Germany as a successful live artist, appear on various TV shows and bring his versatile experience as a lyricist to the brand-new VBW musical MARIA THERESIA - DAS MUSICAL.

Thomas Kahry

Book

Thomas Kahry celebrated his breakthrough as an author at the Burgtheater in Vienna, where his musical theatre piece SPATZ UND ENGEL aka PIAF/DIETRICH (co-author: Daniel Große Boymann) ran for over seven years. This was followed by new productions in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Montreal and Toronto, where the Canadian production won the 2020 Dora Award for Best Production of the Year. In 2026, the show will continue its international success story with a new production at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, among other venues. His musical AUGUSTIN (co-author Christoph Weyers, music: Wolfgang Ambros) will premiere at the Musicalsommer Amstetten in 2025. Together with Christian Struppeck, he wrote the show WE ARE MUSICAL for the VBW for the reopening of the Raimund Theater (2021). He wrote the gala HOLLYWOOD IN VIENNA (2022) for Alan Menken together with Michael Balgavy. He is currently working on several new musical theatre projects, including two collaborations with Broadway composer Frank Wildhorn (HOUDINI, among others) and a play with Broadway director and author Gordon Greenberg, which will premiere in 2026. As a translator, he is responsible for the German versions of DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS (Gordon Greenberg, Steve Rosen), THE PORTUGUESE KID (John Patrick Shanley) and CHARLEY (Michael Reed, Jon van Eerd), among others.

Christian Struppeck

Creative development

Christian Struppeck has been working in the musical theatre industry for three decades. He has been the artistic director of Vereinigte Bühnen Wien since 2012. In this role, and previously as artistic director and head of the creative department at musical production company Stage Entertainment Deutschland, he has been responsible for over 40 major productions, including CATS, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES, TITANIC, MAMMA MIA!, WICKED, ELISABETH, MOZART!, MARY POPPINS, THE BODYGUARD, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, EVITA, DISNEY'S THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, REBECCA, MISS SAIGON and many more. Together with Andreas Gergen, he headed the Creative Agency Berlin, and together they staged more than 40 musicals and operettas in German-speaking countries. He is the creator, co-author and co-director of the successful musical ICH WAR NOCH NIEMALS IN NEW YORK (I've Never Been to New York), which was developed in close collaboration with Udo Jürgens (Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Tokyo, Munich, Zurich, Stuttgart, Linz, Salzburg, Bregenz, Oberhausen, Thun and film adaptation) and co-author of I AM FROM AUSTRIA, the musical featuring the hits of Rainhard Fendrich (Vienna, Osaka, Tokyo, TV broadcast). Together with three-time Oscar winner Stephen Schwartz, he wrote the musical SCHIKANEDER, which celebrated its world premiere in Vienna in a production by legendary director Sir Trevor Nunn. He is also the author and creative developer of the musical DER BESUCH DER ALTEN DAME (Thun, Vienna, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Germany, Netherlands) and wrote the musical comedy WOCHENEND UND SONNENSCHEIN (Stuttgart, Lucerne, etc.) as well as new book versions of DIE DREI VON DER TANKSTELLE (Berlin, Vienna, etc.), DIE SCHÖNE HELENA and FRAU LUNA. He co-wrote the successful Swiss musical production DÄLLEBACH KARI (Thun, Zurich, Bern, revival in 2023). Most recently, he was responsible for the creative development and wrote the book for the world premiere of ROCK ME AMADEUS – DAS FALCO MUSICAL at the Ronacher. He is currently working on several new VBW musicals. Christian Struppeck is a recipient of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class.

Alex Balga

Director

Alex Balga received his training at the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna, the Dance and Singing Studio Theater an der Wien, and the Performing Arts Studios. After engagements with GREASE (Raimund Theater), JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, and LES MISÉRABLES, among others, he switched to directing. Alex Balga worked as artistic director at Mehr-Entertainment and Disney's TARZAN.

He led a workshop for DER BLAUE ENGEL on Broadway in New York and is casting director for the German premiere of the international theater hit HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD in Hamburg. He has also directed numerous major productions, including GODSPELL, CABARET, MIAMI NIGHTS (co-author), SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, FAME, LAST CHRISTMAS, THAT'S LIFE, FRANK WILDHORN & FRIENDS, HAIR (Bozen, Musical Sommer Amstetten), the world premiere of Hape Kerkeling's KEIN PARDON – DAS MUSICAL, the European premiere of MESSIAH ROCKS (Raimund Theater), VOM GEIST DER WEIHNACHT, the German-language premiere of 9 TO 5, DIRTY DANCING – LIVE ON TOUR, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Ronacher and Raimund Theater), THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, the German-language premiere of ON YOUR FEET and ROCK OF AGES, GREASE, Frank Wildhorn's DRACULA (Ulm, Deutsches Theater Munich) and, in 2021, the grand opening gala of the newly renovated Raimund Theater in Vienna. Since 2019, he has been artistic director of the Musical Summer Amstetten, where he staged the German-language premiere of the Broadway hit JERSEY BOYS in the summer of 2023. This will be followed in summer 2024 by the blockbuster musical WE WILL ROCK YOU, which he also directed. In 2025, the musical AUGUSTIN, with music by Wolfgang Ambros, will celebrate its world premiere at the Musical Summer Amstetten under his direction.

Jonathan Huor

Choreography

Jonathan Huor was born in Cambodia and grew up in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. After receiving a scholarship for professional dance training and pedagogy in Montpellier and Zurich, he refined his skills through masterclasses in New York and London. Throughout his career, Jonathan has enjoyed international success in musicals, events and television. As a choreographer, he has distinguished himself in numerous productions, including the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ Ku'damm 59, Sister Act, PUR – Das Musical, Ku'damm 56, Romeo & Julia – Liebe ist Alles, Fack Ju Göhte, Catch Me If You Can, Lady Beth, The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, West Side Story, Chicago, We Are Musical Gala der VBW, Mamma Mia!, Wüstenblume, Der Tanz der Vampire and Cabaret. Jonathan has also had an impact with his choreography outside the theatre, for example at the FIFA Opening Ceremony in Zurich, the opening ceremony of the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, and the Volkswagen Group Shows in Beijing, Shanghai, Paris and Tokyo. His expertise is valued worldwide, and he is a sought-after guest lecturer and mentor for masterclasses. He has also worked with renowned artists such as Pink, Alicia Keys, Joe Cocker, Lang Lang, the Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and many others. Jonathan has already been awarded the prestigious ‘German Musical Theatre Prize’ for ‘Best Choreography’ three times – recognition of his creative, visionary, narrative and innovative approach. With his respectful and forward-looking approach, Jonathan Huor is at the forefront of today's entertainment industry.

Morgan Large

Set & video design

Morgan is an award-winning designer from the United Kingdom. He received his training at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. His West End credits include: SISTER ACT (Dominion Theatre/Eventim Apollo/UK Tour/Australia/Netherlands/Germany, nominated for the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Set Design and the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival), JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (London Palladium/UK Tour/Australian Tour/Toronto, nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival – starring Donny Osmond), Disney's NEWSIES (Troubadour Theatre), THE INVENTION OF LOVE (Hampstead), FRANK AND PERCY (The Other Palace/Theatre Royal Windsor – starring Sir Ian McKellen), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Novello Theatre – starring James Earl Jones). His other projects include: DEAR EVAN HANSEN (Nottingham Playhouse/UK Tour/Manila/Marina Bay Sands, Singapore), SUNSET BOULEVARD (Sydney Opera House/Princess Theatre, Melbourne, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore/Opera Australia, Chinese Tour, Taiwan – starring Sarah Brightman), WICKED (Santander Theatre, São Paulo), EVITA (Villa Lobos Park, São Paulo); WONDERLAND, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Nottingham Playhouse), OTHELLO, LIVES IN ART (Sheffield Crucible), GEORGE'S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE (Leicester Curve/UK Tour), ROOM ON THE BROOM (Lyric Theatre/Garrick Theatre/World Tour). Morgan Large has received the following awards to date: UK Theatre Award for Best Stage Design for Wonderland, Best Of London Theatre Award for Best Stage Design for Disney's NEWSIES; Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Aleksandra Kica

Costume & make-up design

Aleksandra Kica is a Polish costume designer living in Vienna. During her training as a fashion designer at the Fashion School in Vienna, she created her first costume designs at the renowned Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna, where she worked on numerous projects over a period of four years. She also worked as a costume assistant at the Schauspielhaus Wien under the artistic direction of Airan Berg and Barrie Kosky, where she was able to design one of her first pieces in 2007. Aleksandra Kica has been a freelance costume designer since 2007 and has already designed costumes for over 95 theatre plays, musicals, operas, operettas, dance performances and projects. Her artistic roots lie in acting, but in recent years she has worked primarily in opera and musical theatre and is one of the busiest costume designers in this field in the German-speaking world. Her work has been shown at venues including the Mörbisch Lake Festival, the Burgtheater in Vienna, Vienna Festival, Felsenreitschule Salzburg, Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf, Linz09 Cultural Capital, Leipzig Opera, Festspielhaus St. Pölten, at the Red Gate of the Augsburg State Theatre, at the Vereinigte Bühnen Bozen, Nuremberg State Theatre, Landestheater Innsbruck, Goodman Theatre Chicago, National Theatre Weimar and Volksoper Vienna. In 2018, she designed the costumes for the nine-hour mammoth project ‘Die letzten Tage der Menschheit’ (The Last Days of Mankind) directed by Paulus Manker in the old weapons factory in Wiener Neustadt and the Belgienhalle Berlin.

Carsten Kümmel

Sounddesign

Prof. Carsten Kümmel completed his sound engineering studies in Detmold between 1997 and 2002. Before and during his studies, he worked in sound engineering with renowned artists such as Costa Cordalis and DJ Bobo. Since graduating, he has continued to work extensively in sound engineering, collaborating with artists such as Robin Gibb (BeeGees worldwide from 2004 to 2012), Sir Anthony Hopkins, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Montserrat Caballé and events such as the Eurovision Song Contest (2008, 2017 and 2025). He has made a name for himself with complex shows in particular: For example, he was and still is the sound engineer for shows such as the Thurn und Taxis Castle Festival (since 2004), the Szeged Classical Music Festival (together with Verona, the oldest classical open-air festival in the world) and the pop oratorios DIE 10 GEBOTE, LUTHER and BETHLEHEM by Dieter Falk with more than 4,200 musicians, Scorpions, BBC Planet Earth tours since 2015, The World of Hans Zimmer tour 2018–2019 and several Disney in Concert tours. He gained experience in broadcast engineering through several years of work with service providers such as Plazamedia GmbH (football conference channel) and many major musical events (Kaisermania and various jobs for ARD). Since 2014, he has been teaching as a professor of sound engineering at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences. He has been appointed to the renowned Detmold University of Music to head the sound engineering programme in 2024. He also gives masterclasses at various universities and colleges in Germany, Russia, Hungary, Austria, Hong Kong and Switzerland.

Ben Cracknell

Lighting design

Ben Cracknell is a multi-award-winning lighting designer and Associate Artist at Curve in the United Kingdom. He trained at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in London, where he was awarded a scholarship in 2021. In the West End, he has been responsible for the following productions: CLUELESS (Trafalgar Theatre), DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS (Menier Chocolate Factory), THE WIZARD OF OZ, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (London Palladium), HEATHERS, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (Theatre Royal Haymarket), GREASE (Dominion Theatre), THE DRIFTERS GIRL, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR (Garrick Theatre), ANNIE (Piccadilly Theatre), THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF MUSICAL (Noël Coward Theatre), INALA (Peacock Theatre), DANCING IN THE STREETS (Cambridge Theatre) and numerous pantomimes at the London Palladium. His international engagements include: WICKED (Sao Paulo), ABENTEUERLAND (Düsseldorf), JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Toronto & Australian Tour), WE WILL ROCK YOU (Manila & World Tour), CHESS (Japan & Canada), LEGALLY BLONDE (South Korea), DRACULA (Singapore & Bangkok), INALA (international tour), ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’, ‘Strangers on a Train’, SWEET CHARITY, TOMMY, THE LIFE (English Theatre Frankfurt), FAUST and 1984 (Stuttgart), ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Theatre Trier) and ‘La Clemenza di Tito’ (Opéra de Lausanne / Bilbao Opera).

Carsten Paap

Musical direction

Carsten Paap studied church music, school music and music education at the University of Music Lübeck, majoring in organ, trombone and choral conducting, and graduated with distinction. He encountered the musical in 1997 at CATS in the Hamburg Operettenhaus, from where he continued in 1999 in Bremen with JEKYLL& HYDE as keyboardist and assistant musical director. In the same position he changed to MOZART! in Hamburg, where TITANIC - DAS MUSICAL and DIRTY DANCING followed. At the same time he conducted SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD on the Cap San Diego as well as ELEGIES FOR ANGELS, PUNKS AND RAGING QUEENS at the Schmidt Theater Hamburg and conducted the Berlin production of TANZ DER VAMPIRE. His work in Vienna includes REBECCA, MUSICAL CHRISTMAS, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, SISTER ACT, THE VISIT OF THE OLD LADY, MOZART!, MARY POPPINS, EVITA, DON CAMILLO & PEPPONE, I AM FROM AUSTRIA, BODYGUARD - THE MUSICAL, MISS SAIGON and THE LADY OF NOTRE DAME as well as musical direction for DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES and CATS. He was also Musical Director for the musical productions ANNIE (2012) and INTO THE WOODS(2014), which were created in collaboration with the Lower Austrian Music School Management. In May 2013 he was responsible for the premiere of the chamber opera JOIN! by Franz Koglmann at the Wiener Festwochen, and in September 2017 for the premiere of LIEBE SOPHIE and the EA of Anna Clyne's THIS MIDNIGHT HOUR (Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra).