Proximity and distance
Lecture and workshop on intimacy coordination with junior professor Hanna Werth
A public lecture and an internal university workshop will examine the practical application of intimacy coordination in (musical) theatre and in teaching. The Department of Vocal Studies and Theatre at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar has invited an expert to speak on this topic: Hanna Werth, junior professor for stage and intimacy coordination at the Robert Schumann University of Music in Düsseldorf, will lead various events on the topic of ‘Intimacy: Proximity and Distance’ on 9 and 10 May.
The event will kick off with a public lecture by Prof. Hanna Werth on Friday, 9 May at 11 a.m. in the Jenny Fleischer Alt Saal in the Beethovenhaus Belvedere. Junior Professor Hanna Werth will provide an insight into the basics, approach and effects of intimacy coordination. She will highlight the ethical and artistic advantages of this practice in musical theatre, as well as the status quo of the current situation and debates at universities and in teaching culture.
The lecture will be followed by several workshops on Saturday, 10 May. Registration for the workshops is still open for students and teachers, but places are limited. Please register at kathrin.horn(at)hfm-weimar.de. The workshops invite participants to learn about and try out methods and approaches for dealing with intimate scenes. The event aims to promote understanding and practical application of intimacy coordination in order to strengthen the protection and creative freedom of performers.
The workshop will explore how intimacy coordination can be transferred to musical theatre in order to tell stories authentically while ensuring the protection of the performers. Topics such as respectful communication, desexualised language and consensual rehearsal methods will be addressed, offering a perspective for consensual working in teaching. The exchange is intended to create space for individual and collective development.
Hanna Werth was born in Hanau in 1986 and studied acting at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig. As part of her training, she performed at the Schauspiel Leipzig, and her first engagement took her to the Wuppertaler Bühnen from 2012 to 2014. In 2013, she received the award for best young actress in North Rhine-Westphalia for her portrayal of Giacinta in ‘Trilogie der Sommerfrische’ (Trilogy of Summer Retreats). She appeared as a guest at the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus in the 2013/14 season and was a permanent member of the ensemble there from 2014 to 2024.
There she worked with Volker Lösch, Daniela Löffner, Marius von Mayenburg, David Bösch, Adrian Figueroa and Laura Linnenbaum, among others. Hanna Werth appeared in Dedi Baron's highly acclaimed production ‘Mord’, which was invited to the International Hanoch Levin Festival in Tel Aviv (Israel), played Queen Elizabeth I in the successful production ‘The Queen's Men’ (directed by Peter Jordan/Leonard Koppelmann) and appeared as a singer in the recitals ‘Heart of Gold,’ ‘Boys Don't Cry and Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ and ‘I Build My Time.’ In 2021, she collaborated with director Laura Linnenbaum on ‘Die Wand’ (The Wall), based on the novel by Marlen Haushofer, as a furious solo performance at the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus.
In 2019, she initiated and founded K*WERK – a network for the representation of FLINTA* in the art and culture scene (supported by Soziokultur NRW) and is actively committed to creating spaces free of discrimination in the arts. This also led her to the field of intimacy coordination, where she trained with renowned intimacy coordinators. In 2021, Hanna Werth was awarded the City of Düsseldorf's sponsorship award. Since the summer semester of 2023, she has been teaching acting at the Robert Schumann University of Music (RSH) in Düsseldorf. In May 2024, Hanna Werth was appointed junior professor for stage and intimacy coordination at the RSH.
Further information: www.hannawerth.de
[29 April 2025]