Natascha Kalmbach

After 10 years at the helm of the Junges Theater Heidelberg, Natascha Kalmbach is now once again working as a freelance director.

Until 1990, she studied theatre studies, Nordic philology and modern German literary history at LMU in Munich. Following further years of training as an assistant director at the Badische Landesbühne Bruchsal and the Städtische Bühnen Münster, she began working as a freelance director in 1995, specialising in youth theatre, at venues including the Württembergische Landesbühne Esslingen, the Wuppertaler Bühnen, the Landestheater Salzburg, the Theater Kiel and the Schauspiel Essen. Her production of »Rose und Regen, Schwert und Wunde« won her the North Rhine-Westphalia State Directing Prize in 1994. From 2009 to 2012, she was artistic director of the Young Theatre at the Landesbühne Niedersachsen-Nord in Wilhelmshaven. As part of this role, she directed and organised the German-Dutch children’s and youth theatre festival vis-à-vis in 2011. Alongside her work as a director, she also writes plays and adaptations. Her plays »Psst! Frau Prof. Dr. D. Zibel hat einen Ohrwurm« and »(K)eine Ahnung vom Leben« premiered in Wilhelmshaven and Münster. Her adaptations of »Bremer Stadtmusikanten« and »Abgehoben. Abgeflogen. Abgehoben« have been published by Drei Masken Verlag. To date, she has directed over 90 productions, including, here in Heidelberg, »Wunschpunsch« (2015), »Blutrote Schuhe« (2016), »Verschwommen« (2018), »Orpheus ohne Angst« (2020), »Rodrigo Raubein« (2021), »Momo« (2024) and, most recently, in collaboration with Iván Pérez (Director of the DTH), »Das hässliche Entlein« (2026). From 2016 to 2026, she served as spokesperson for the Arbeitskreis Junges Theater Baden-Württemberg (Baden-Württemberg Young Theatre Working Group), championing the interests of children’s and youth theatre. From 2018 to 2026, she was a member of the support group at Theater Heidelberg, which offered assistance to victims of sexual or power-based abuse.

See also: www.nataschakalmbach.de