Interview with Beate Schwarzbauer

Interview with Beate Schwarzbauer, Freelance Lecturer in Scenic Acting and Fundamentals at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences.

In a short introductory series, we would like to present our lecturers in the field of acting, who now also teach in the new degree programs perfomART and Business & Acting. Applications for these unique degree programs, the only ones of their kind in Germany, are possible at any time. Secure your place in the degree program now!

Interview with Beate Schwarzbauer, Freelance Lecturer in Scenic Acting and Fundamentals at Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences.

How did your artistic career develop up to your work at Alanus University? 

I completed my acting training in Hamburg and was subsequently engaged at various municipal and state theaters. I worked in various independent projects as well as in film and television, and as a voice artist for radio and dubbing studios. At the same time, I had always been interested in didactic and experimental approaches to the art of acting. I therefore explored method acting (Kampnagel Hamburg), Sanford Meisner (Berlin), improvisation, and modern dance (Academy for Modern Dance Development Amsterdam). Over time, my work increasingly shifted to being “behind” the stage rather than “on” the stage. When I discovered Alanus University, I knew very clearly deep down: That is where I want to be!  

Since when have you been teaching at Alanus University, and what do you teach?

I have been teaching regularly at Alanus University since 2011 in the subjects Acting Fundamentals and Scene Study. I was also responsible for project phases in modern and classical literature. Due to Alanus University’s interdisciplinary approach, I was invited several times to teach seminars in the degree programs in Business Administration and Childhood Education.

What has been your favorite project you have participated in so far, and why?

That is not an easy question to answer, since one is in a constant process of development and the focus is therefore always on the project currently in front of you.

Nevertheless, alongside the many intensive acting projects with Alanus students, my directing work on the children’s opera “Brundibár” by Hans Krása moved me especially deeply. It was an inclusive school project involving 250 children and young people from vastly different educational backgrounds. This was probably the most intense and joyful challenge of my professional life.

Photo: Rachel Wirth