Clara Bender

Dramaturg

Clara Bender studied musicology in Vienna and Chicago. From 2019 to 2021, she worked as an assistant director at the Salzburg State Theatre, where she made her directorial debut in 2021 with the world premiere of "Die Kanarien". In 2024, she completed her Master’s degree in dramaturgy at the Theaterakademie August Everding, where she developed and oversaw projects in both music and spoken theatre, and also spent a semester studying playwriting at the UdK Berlin.

Since 2023, she has been working as a freelance dramaturg, director, and author. That same year, she collaborated with Helgard Haug ("Rimini Protokoll") and Theater Hora on "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" at the Salzburg Festival. She directed the performative installation "IN_BE_TWEENING" at the Studiobühne Munich.

Her freelance dramaturgy work has taken her to Theater Ingolstadt ("Spuren und Geister", dir. Knut Weber; "Haus ohne Ruhe", dir. Jochen Schölch), the Salzburg State Theatre ("The Odyssey", dir. Nuran David Calis), the State Opera Kassel ("NACHT", Contemporary Music Theatre Festival 2024), the Johann Strauss Anniversary Year 2025 in Vienna ("Das Lied vom Rand der Welt", dir. Nuran David Calis), the Bad Hersfeld Festival ("Sommernachtsträume", dir. Joern Hinkel), and the Munich Residenztheater ("The Lost Friend", dir. Fabiola Kuonen). Her first play, "HYSTÉRA (who’s your mommy)", was invited to the Long Weekend of New Drama at Theater Münster in 2025.

Since the 2025/26 season, Clara Bender has been part of Nuran David Calis’ artistic team as a dramaturg at the Salzburg State Theatre.

Last updated: September 2025