Johan Simons
Johan Simons (born 1 September 1946) is a Dutch theatre director. Simons received his education at the Rotterdam Dance Academy and the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts. He also taught directing in Maastricht for a number of years. Since 2000, Simons has received international recognition for his directing. He has been regularly invited as a guest director for leading German-language theatre companies, including the Schauspielhaus Zürich, the Schauspielhaus Stuttgart, the Ruhrtriennale, and the Münchner Kammerspiele. In addition to directing plays, he has directed several operas, including Verdi's Simon Boccanegra at the Opéra Bastille in 2006 and  Mozart's Il Seraglio at the De Nederlandse Opera in 2008. Simons was appointed artistic director of the Münchner Kammerspiele in 2010. He was the director of the Ruhrtriennale from 2015 to 2017. Simons caused controversy by directing a play in Austria in 2015 called "Die Neger" ("The Negroes"), which used blackface, prompting protests and accusations of racism.