Robert Wilson: Summer | Fall 2026 Newsletter

Summer | Fall 2026

Bob’s work continues to resonate on stages around the world. Following a moving finale of The Messiah at the Houston Grand Opera and an epic Moby Dick run at BAM in New York, the Polish version of Seven Solitudes opened the Kontakt Festival in Toruń. Tonight, Bob’s energetic reading of The Tempest, created with the Bulgarian National Theater, opens at Vienna’s Burgtheater. The New York Times remarked about Moby Dick at BAM: His star’s gravity still operates there, just as if he were not gone. — This newsletter will continue to inform you about events and news from Bob’s universe, and we hope you will have the opportunity to experience one or more of his works.

Next week, PESSOA—Since I’ve Been Me will be back on the stage of the Théâtre de la Ville for 9 performances. To mark the occasion, guests can view a special exhibition and private sale of Bob’s PESSOA drawings in a dedicated space in the Théâtre de la Ville, presented by Nosbaum Reding Gallery. The exhibition will be open on performance days from three hours before each show until 30 minutes after its conclusion, offering audiences a unique glimpse into Wilson’s creative process.
On the eve of the opening performance of PESSOA, Ketabi Bourdet Gallery will inaugurate its second exhibition dedicated to Robert Wilson’s work, creating a dialogue of two lacquered-wood versions of the Father’s Chair, originally designed for the set of The Days Before: Death, Destruction & Detroit III, with a series of 25 charcoal drawings depicting the same iconic object.

Over the past few years, Bob worked with his friend, author Keith McDermott, to write his memoir. While the manuscript was completed before his passing, the book was not published during his lifetime. We are proud to announce that, this fall, The Space Behind The Face will be released posthumously. It will be available on November 3, 2026.

You may discover and pre-order the book on the Penguin Press web site.

As the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus brings its season—and the tenure of its artistic director—to a close, the theatre honors Bob with a trilogy of his major productions there, Dorian, The Sandman, and Moby Dick, giving audiences the rare chance to encounter these landmark works in close succession. There will be audience talkbacks and introductions; please check the Dhaus web site for details.

• The Tempest from June 5–7 @ Burgtheater Vienna and on June 30 @ Bulgarian National Theater Sofia
• The Days Before (Exhibition) from June 12 – July 18 @ Ketabi Bourdet Gallery
• Dorian from June 13–14 @ Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus (with English titles on the 14th)
• PESSOA – Works on Paper (Exhibition) from June 13–21 @ Théâtre de la Ville Paris
• PESSOA—Since I’ve Been Me from June 13–21 @ Théâtre de la Ville Paris and from September 10–11 @ Annemasse
• The Sandman from June 19–21 @ Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus (with English titles on the 21st)
• Moby Dick from June 24–27 @ Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus (with English titles on the 25th)
• Nomad Hamptons (Art Fair) from June 25–28 @ The Watermill Center
• limitless time—The Watermill Center Summer Festival from July 24–25 @ The Watermill Center
• A Chair And You from September 26, 2026 – January 31, 2027 @ Kunsthal Rotterdam
• Turandot from November 27 – December 27 @ Paris Opera
• Mary Said What She Said from May 26–28, 2027 @ Antibes