Brigitte Baggen
earned her teaching qualification in German and history at the university of her hometown of Düsseldorf. After working as a teacher for a few years, she moved on to a position in the cultural department of the city of Viersen. Initially planned as a short intermezzo, she ended up staying there for 32 years. One focus of her work was the presentation of innovative theatre for children and young people, a personal highlight being the awarding of the ASSITEJ organiser prize in 2003. As head of the cultural office (2014-19), she took on a wide range of activities, which included involvement in festivals such as “tanz nrw” and “Spielarten” as well as organising the Viersen International Jazz Festival and several series of concerts and plays.
Julia-Huda Nahas
studied cultural education before getting her first taste of WESTWIND as a “NEXT GENERATION” participant. As assistant director at RLT Neuss, she staged the world premiere of her own play, which subsequently led to a reunion with WESTWIND when her production was invited to the festival. In addition to staging works for municipal theatres, she realises independent productions and projects with a focus on the effects of structural racism and European refugee policy. She works as a freelance director, author and cultural educator: she’s an avid team player, preferably as a border crosser, always out of conviction.
Jutta Maria Staerk
has served as artistic director of COMEDIA Theater Cologne since 2008, following stints at Staatstheater Braunschweig, Landestheater Linz and Theater Konstanz. Her endeavours include curating the international festival TRIANGEL and the youth theatre convention Arbeitstreffen der Baden-Württembergischen Kinder- und Jugendtheater 2007 in addition to developing the format “Schäxpir” in Linz. With involvement in the festivals “Spielarten NRW” (yearly), “Westwind” (2011, 2018), “Spurensuche” (2016) and “Directors in TYA – an International Exchange”, an ASSITEJ international directing seminar (2011), she has helped COMEDIA Theater become part of national and international networks. Staerk is a board member of ASSITEJ Germany.