Leon Wieferich

Leon Wieferich is involved both on and off stage in the productions »Ein Platz im Gedächtnis« and »saufen fechten heidelberg« and was a member of the ensemble at the Junges Theater from 2020 to 2024. Since 2024, he has been working as a freelancer in Cologne and performs at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, the Schauspiel Köln, the Staatstheater Nürnberg and in various independent projects, including at the Kunstfest Weimar.

He was born in Düsseldorf in 1992 and knew, at the very latest since his first leading role as the Big Bad Wolf at primary school, that being on stage and getting paid for it is a bit like cheating in life. After school, he worked first as a long-distance lorry driver and then in the catering industry, before going on to study drama at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. His first engagement was at the Stadttheater Bremerhaven, followed by work with, amongst others, Tuğsal Moğul, Ildikó Gaspar, Polina Solotowitzi and Yvonne Kespohl. The production »Blinde Kuh mit dem Tod« (directed by Robert Gerloff), which originated in Düsseldorf, was invited to perform on international tours in Ukraine and Brazil.

Several projects close to his heart were realised in Heidelberg, all of which enjoyed success: the world premiere of Schimmelpfennig’s »Das Märchen von der kleinen Meerjungfrau« (directed by Marcel Kohler) won the KinderStückePreis at the Mülheim Theatre Festival; »Ein Platz im Gedächtnis« received first prize in the theatre competition andersartig gedenken on stage; »saufen fechten heidelberg« is now in its sixth season and has been performed at festivals as well as at the Schauspiel Hannover. With the Neuland collective, he developed interactive performances such as »Ja klar, am Ende ist dann eh wieder der Kapitalismus schuld«.

As a theatre maker, Leon Wieferich is passionate about collective processes and political theatre that can be cheeky at times, without taking itself too seriously. A key focus is on research and play development. As neon lobster, he DJs electronic music and has been using this name for longer than Florentina Holzinger’s production company.