Stefan is a theatre director and has been developing participatory and biographical theatre projects on socially relevant and controversial topics for more than ten years, always with the aim of bringing about transformation. With DRUGLAND (2018), he let the audience experience the real conflicts of public space up close in a theatrical tour with professional actors and people dealing with addiction at Cologne’s drug hotspot Neumarkt. In 2017, his production of MICHAEL KOHLHAAS was awarded the nationally renowned Monica Bleibtreu Prize.

Juliane Hendes was born in Rostock and studied dramaturgy at the Leipzig University of Music and Theatre. She worked at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus as an assistant director (with A. Eisenach, F. Rothenhäusler, D.D. Pařízek, N. Erpulat, V. Lösch, among others). During this time, she also worked as a dramaturge on the production Die Zofen and directed her own stage version of Albertine Sarrazin’s Astragalus. Since 2016, she has been working as a freelance dramaturge and author at the Sophiensäle Berlin, the Kammerspiele Munich, the Nationaltheater Mannheim, the Landestheater Marburg and the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. She realised her theatrical text Krieg. Mein Krieg as a radio play version. In 2021, she was awarded the Performing Arts Prize of Düsseldorf. As an author, she is associated with the independent group Pièrre.Vers. Her text DUNKELDORF (2023) in the collective’s production made it onto the shortlist of the Berlin Theatertreffen 2024.

Nora has a degree in dramaturgy and, after studying at the Bavarian Theatre Academy August-Everding and the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, started her career with an engagement at the Berliner Ensemble under Claus Peymann. After a two-year period as an assistant, she worked there as a dramaturge with directors of the old guard such as Thomas Langhoff, George Tabori and Luc Bondy. She also worked at the Staatstheater Stuttgart and the Bonn Theatre. At the same time, she taught drama students at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences. She has been working freelance since 2010 and co-founded the beautiful minds.

Camilla studied literature and cultural studies in Bonn and Paris and focussed on feminist theory and emancipatory art during her studies. Through an internship in the cultural programme department of the Goethe-Institut São Paulo in Brazil, she gained experience in the field of intercultural cultural work. Among other projects, she develops the #PixieAllies workshop series for the beautiful minds, in which participants discover creative strategies against hate speech online. Since October 2023, she has been a student of the Master’s programme Gender & Queer Studies at the University of Cologne.

Annuschka studierte Slavistik und Islamwissenschaften an der Universität zu Köln. Bereits während des Studiums nahm sie als Regieassistentin die Arbeit in der freien Theaterszene auf und führt diese bis heute fort. Seit einigen Jahren unterstützt sie uns bei den Proben und kümmert sich außerdem um die Bereiche Organisation und Social Media.

Natalie takes care of fundraising and is responsible for researching potential sponsors and writing project proposals. In addition to her Master’s degree in Economics, she also works as a photographer and videographer. In her home town of Bonn-Tannenbusch, she is active in the youth centre, where she runs dance classes for children.

Hala came to Germany from Syria in 2016. She graduated from high school in 2020 and has been studying molecular biotechnology in Aachen since October 2023. Between 2020 and 2023, she was a participant in our ‘Mosaic’ project and performed on stage in the world premiere of Karosh Taha’s ‘The Crab’s Migration’. She has been a permanent member of the beautiful minds team since May 2023.

Veronika was born in Nepal and grew up in Düsseldorf. She is a freelance stage and costume designer for opera and theatre. Her studies at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weißensee took her to Berlin in 2008. This was followed by two years as an assistant at the Deutsches Theater Berlin. She also worked as an assistant in Leipzig, Baden Baden, Stuttgart and Amsterdam. Her own work has taken her to Rennes, Luxembourg, Schwäbisch Hall, Berlin, Zurich, Düsseldorf, Budapest and Cologne. Since 2017 she has been living in Duisburg with her family.

Trixy is a scenographer, illustrator and designer. She is particularly passionate about theatre, for which she has been designing stage sets and room installations, costume designs and video works for drama, musical theatre and independent productions in NRW since 2006. She was a scholarship holder at the Bayreuth Festival in 2008, at the International Forum of the Berlin Theatre Meeting in 2010 and as a finalist in the international opera competition Ring Award 11 in 2011.

She is also passionate about swapping and sharing books and, in this context, promoting reading among children. Twenty years ago, she developed and designed the Open Bookcases for the Bonn Community Foundation, which now enrich cities all over Germany. She also illustrates picture books for children, which are published by Edition Michael Fischer.

Thomas has been working as a freelance lighting and sound technician for the beautiful minds since 2022. In 2002 he completed his training as a painter and stage designer. Since 2007 he has been working as a lighting and sound technician at various independent theatres in Cologne.