Stage and opera director Johan Simons is artistic leader at NTGent and the Ruhrtriennale. Simons has been appointed artistic leader at Theater Rotterdam from 2017. As of 2018 he will be Schauspielhaus Bochum's new intendant. Previously, he was intendant (artistic director) at the Munich Kammerspiele and founder/artistic director at Hollandia theatre company. Several of Simons' plays have been performed at the Holland Festival, including Sentimenti (2006), Hiob (2009) and Macbeth (2012). Working both in the Netherlands and abroad, Simons' many awards include the Prijs van de Kritiek and the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prijs. In 2004, Theater Heute voted him Director of the Year.