Hans-Günter Butzko

Hans-Günter Butzko, known on stage as HG. Butzko, is a German political kabarettist born in 1965 in Birkesdorf near Düren. He grew up in Gelsenkirchen in the heart of the Ruhrgebiet, the regional accent and working-class sensibility of which still shape his stage persona. After his Abitur and civilian service he worked from 1987 as an actor and director at municipal theatres in Wuppertal, Hof, Würzburg, Eisleben, Baden-Baden and Munich. In 1997 he launched his solo cabaret career and has since become one of the most respected political voices in German kabarett.

HG. Butzko has produced thirteen full-length solo programs since 1997, including Butzkolonne (1997), Spitzenreiter (2007), Menschliche Intelligenz (2016), echt jetzt (2018), aber witzig (2020), ach ja (2022) and his current evening Der will nicht nur spielen (since 2024), with the new program Das wolln wir doch mal sehn announced for 2026. He is a regular guest on the BR satire show schlachthof since 2013 (seven appearances through 2025) and appeared in ZDF Die Anstalt in 2018. The German Kleinkunst Prize jury described his work as investigative cabaret. He is the author of the books Geld oder Leben - Eine Reise durch den Wirtschaftswahnsinn (2011) and Verarschen kann ich mich alleine (2015), and writes regular columns for Kicker, taz and Cicero. Major awards include the German Cabaret Prize (1999), the German Kleinkunst Prize (2014) and the Bavarian Cabaret Prize (2016). He runs his website as a deliberate social-media-free zone, with no Twitter, Facebook or Instagram presence.

HG. Butzko is touring across Germany from November 2025 through September 2026 with his solo program Der will nicht nur spielen, with a new program Das wolln wir doch mal sehn launching in 2026. Confirmed venues include Stuttgart, Idstein, Lorsch, Wissen, Bad Hersfeld, Kempen, Erlangen, Lörrach, Limburg an der Lahn, Laupheim, Peine, Garching, Erkelenz and Hannover. Tickets start around 11.50 euros and full tour dates are listed on hgbutzko.de and through Reservix, Ticketmaster and ADticket. He continues to appear on the BR show schlachthof. Find upcoming shows and tickets for HG.