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 August Everding Theatre Academy in Munich, where she developed and supervised projects in both music theatre and spoken theatre. During her studies, she also spent a semester in the Scenic Writing programme at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK Berlin).

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

As a guest dramaturg, she has worked with Theater Ingolstadt on "Spuren und Geister" (dir. Knut Weber) and "Haus ohne Ruhe" (dir. Jochen Schölch); with Salzburg State Theatre on "The Odyssey" (dir. Nuran David Calis); with the Kassel State Opera for "NACHT", the 2024 Festival of Contemporary Music Theatre; with the Johann Strauss Anniversary Year 2025 in Vienna on "Das Lied vom Rand der Welt" (dir. Nuran David Calis); with the Bad Hersfeld Festival on "Sommernachtsträume" (dir. Joern Hinkel); and with Munich's Residenztheater on "The Rediscovered Friend" (dir. Fabiola Kuonen).

Her first theatre text, "HYSTÉRA (who’s your mommy)", was invited to the "Long Weekend of New Drama" at Theater Münster in 2025. She has been nominated for the prestigious Retzhofer Drama Prize 2027.

Since the 2025/2026 season, Clara Bender has been working as a dramaturg at Salzburg State Theatre as part of Nuran David Calis’ artistic team.

Last updated: June 2026