From September 22 to 25, acting students participated in workshops led by Paul Behren—an actor and choreographer, and a graduate of the Folkwang University and ZHdK in Zurich—known for the interdisciplinary blending of acting and choreography.

Paul Behren described the workshop:

"Taking classical texts as our starting point, we embark on a fun-filled, four-day journey through various forms, structures, freedom, and states of overload. We move from dramatic clarity and energetic expression to bizarre physicality, exploring what is needed to become truly free on stage. We re-enact the same scenes in three different acting styles, consciously pushing the boundaries of our habitual ways of performing. What happens when certainty and freedom cease to be opposites and begin to fuel one another?

Our work is practical and physical, embracing and finding joy in failure: we practice stage presence, timing, textual awareness, and team work, discovering how overload can become a driving force for new acting possibilities.
During the workshop, students work with excerpts from „Anthropolis. Monster. City. Thebes” by Roland Schimmelpfennig.”

The workshop is held as part of the project "Development of Acting Skills and Reflection on Stage-Pedagogical Practice," co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund – a state special-purpose fund.

PAUL BEHREN
A German actor and choreographer—and a graduate of the Folkwang University and the ZHdK in Zurich—he is known for the interdisciplinary fusion of acting and choreography. He has collaborated with leading European directors and choreographers, develops his own dance-performance projects, and participates in international festivals such as Impulstanz in Vienna and Tanzwerkstatt Europa in Munich. Behren introduces participants to the psychophysical challenges faced by the contemporary actor, work involving movement and stage dynamics, and the development of emotional and aesthetic sensitivity.

photos: A. Kazimierczak