Johan Simons the Opéra Bastille in 2006 and Mozart's Il Seraglio at the De Nederlandse Opera in 2008. Simons was artistic director of the Münchner Kammerspiele since 2010. He is the director of the Ruhrtriennale from 2015 to 2017. Simon raised concerns by directing a play in Austria called "Die Neger" ("The Negroes") using blackface against protests and accusations of racism in 2015 Johan Simons Johan Simons (born 1 September 1946) is a Dutch theatre director. Simons received his education at the Rotterdam Dance Academy and the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts. He also taught directing in Maastricht for a number of
Kurt Rydl "The Abduction from the Seraglio". He debuted in 1976 at the Vienna State Opera as Ferrando ("Il trovatore"). From there he went on to sing Colline ("La Bohème"), Pimen ("Boris Godunov"), Grand Inquisitor ("Don Carlo"), Commendatore ("Don Giovanni"), Osmin ("The Abduction from the Seraglio"), Rocco ("Fidelio"), Daland ("The Flying Dutchman"), Roger ("Jérusalem"), King Henry ("Lohengrin"), Raimondo ("Lucia di Lammermoor"), Geronte ("Manon Lescaut"), Talbot ("Maria Stuarda"), Veit Pogner ("Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg"), Bartolo ("Il Barbiere di Siviglia"), Titurel and Gurnemanz ("Parsifal"), Sparafucile ("Rigoletto"), Fasolt ("Das Rheingold"), Hunding ("Die Walküre"), Fafner ("Siegfried"), Hagen ("Götterdammerung"), Ochs ("Der Rosenkavalier") Morosus ("Die schweigsame Frau"), Landgraf