 In 1996 Ostermier was asked to take over as artistic director for the Barracke at the Deutsches Theater, an offer he attributes to his production of a play by the Russian symbolist Alexander Blok at Ernst Busch, which was seen by the Barracke's then chief dramaturg.Ostermeier brought dramaturg Jens Hillje and designer Stefan Schmidke, both of whom he continues to work with, to the Barracke.The three created a five-year programme aiming to mirror reality and dealing with the themes of sex, drugs, and criminality.