Anne Kapsner
Germany
About the artist
Anne Sophie Kapsner [she/they] is a theatre director, writer and researcher based in Munich, Germany. Her interdisciplinary work is located in the border area of documentation, drama and pop aesthetics. The starting point is usually biographical events.
Anne studied Theatre Studies and Swedish in Munich and Stockholm [2010-2014] as well as directing at Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts [2014-2020]. Afterwards Anne worked as a director’s assistent at Münchner Kammerspiele, where she also performed on stage [Heldenplatz; Dir: Falk Richter, 2021] and directed herself [ALLES GOLD, nichts glänzt; text based on Platonov by Tschechow]. Since 2022 Anne works as a freelance artist nationally and internationally, most recently from May till September 2024 with Falk Richter at Dramaten Stockholm.
Her works were shown among others at studio NAXOS Frankfurt, PATHOS Theatre Munich, Dschungel Wien and Staatstheater Mainz. She worked several years with the Frankfurt based group imaginary company on shows for all-age audience, mostly in cooperation with the Mousonturm Frankfurt. Anne is also interested in teaching: In 2023 she supervised a monologue work by drama student Lola Giwerzew at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Anne also works with young people, most recently in May 2024 with a group of schoolgirls on a political speaking performance on the german constitution [Walk of Democracy; public space Munich].
Anne’s art deals with identity and gender [LUST; 2020&2022], social structures and big feelings [Nur die Liebe zählt, haben sie gesagt; 2020-2023] - always with a queer feminist perspective. Humor and absurdity are particularly important in stage aesthetics.
Anne is currently preparing an audio walk about the jewish, activist, queer actress Therese Giehse for Münchner Kammerspiele with premiere in March 2025 and a novel adaption of „Outlawed“ by Anna North with premiere at Theaterhaus Jena in May 2025.
About the artist’s work
In their research Anne Sophie Kapsner [she/they] is dealing with death, grief and mourning. She traveled to Warsaw [Poland], Madrid [Spain] and Piatra Neamt [Romania] as well as to the Romanian countryside to find out about personal stories of loss, mental health care, orthodox burial rituals, different ways of dealing with mourners in the different societies, suicide prevention, the reactions of those around them to mourners and about the integration of death into life. The big question on Anne’s mind is: How can we go on living after the death of a loved one?
Anne’s research is more about finding than seeking a specific answer, it’s more about listening than talking. It’s mostly about sharing a space and time and small personal details. Anne originally began researching queer bodies in repressive systems in Warsaw. Caused by the sudden death of her younger brother in November 2023 - in the middle of the Future Laboratory - Anne felt the need to change their topic. Due to various [negative] experiences she has had, Anne wants to process her own grieving process artistically on the one hand and find ways to deal with death and grief differently in society on the other. So Anne began to speak openly about it, to share her story, and people responded and „happily“ [and somehow relieved] shared their stories.
Can theatre open up a space for this topic and how? Anne is now working on a concept for a theatre performance that tries to make the experience of grief and mourning tangible for people who are not grieving. But it should also comfort mourners and make them feel less alone. As a starting point, Anne tried out an idea in Madrid with the dancer Laura Ramirez Ashbaugh: Laura performed a farewell letter with her body. In Romania, Anne met with a bocitoare, „a woman who cries at someone’s funeral“. In Anne’s case, she sang traditional songs and performed one for Anne’s brother.
In Piatra Neamț Anne also organised a workshop called „It’s ok to not be ok“, where she opened a space of mourning [together] and sharing memories of people we have lost in our lives through physical and writing exercises from Anne’s practise.