We mourn the passing of Simone Thoma on May 23, 2023. After her acting training at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Hamburg, she became a formative member of the Theater an der Ruhr ensemble in 1993. The depth and unconditionality of her approaches to theater made her an extraordinary author of idiosyncratic and touching characters. Her extraordinary ability to listen within herself led to a clarity of thought. Simone Thoma became a driving force behind many productions. With her play she inspired us and many people.
Among her many personal character inventions can be mentioned exemplarily: Antigone (Sophocles), Doña Rosita (Federico Garcia Lorca), Fool in "King Lear" (William Shakespeare), King Ubu/Am Königsweg (Alfred Jarry/Elfriede Jelinek), Mary Tyrone in "A Long Day's Journey into Night" (Eugene O'Neill) or Chou Chou in Roberto Ciullis "Clown" projects.
Since 2010 she also emerged as a director and developed her own signature. Most recently in the productions of "Gespenster" (Henrik Ibsen), "antigone.ein requiem" (Thomas Köck) and "Anatomie eines Wortes/ Der Ritt über den Bodensee" (Anza Pamber/ Peter Handke).
For Theater an der Ruhr, Simone Thomas' death is a great loss; we will miss her as a person and an artist.
