Manuel Gerst studied Applied Theatre Studies in Giessen with Heiner Goebbels and stage and costume design in Munich with Katrin Brack. He was a founding member of the performance group Monster Truck, which from 2005 created projects at the intersection of theatre and visual art in the independent scene and at municipal theatres. Their productions toured internationally and received numerous awards, including the George Tabori Main Prize. Alongside his own projects, he works as a stage and costume designer, lecturer and diversity agent. In 2019, he received the Hein Heckroth Advancement Award for Stage Design.