Founded on the shared vision of a stage for the people, the Volksbühne (established in 1914) has gone from humble origins as a grassroots people’s movement to earn the reputation of being one of Germany’s most innovative contemporary theaters. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, under the rule of director-general Frank Castorf, the Volksbühne grew to rank highly among the most successful theaters in reunified Germany—and it certainly sparked the most controversy. With its paradoxical objectives to be both elitist and populist, eccentric and appealing to the masses, the Volksbühne tears down the classical limits of theater whilst simultaneously confirming them in a reflective manner.