Rachel Karafistan

I am a British performer, teacher, academic and director based in Berlin and the founder and co-artistic dircetor of Cosmino Productions www.cosmino.org. We have created over 15 original productions since 1998. In 2001 I completed my PhD research into Shamanic dimensions within contemporary theatre practice. For many years, I ran regular workshops exploring the connections between the actor and the shaman internationally and often with my long-term collaborator, Professor Brian Bates. I was also an actor with acclaimed Polish company, Teatr Biuro Podróży. Aside from my performing and directing work with Cosmino, I have directed for Greenwich Theatre and East 15 Acting School, Northampton and Leeds Universities and since 2017 have worked as visiting director for Salzburg Landestheater, Austria where I co-directed King A in 2017 and Paula’s Reisen in 2019 with my partner, Kuba Pierzchalski. I am a faculty member at Arthaus Berlin (formerly LISPA / London International School of Performing Arts) and External Examiner on the Physcial Theatre BA at East 15 Acting School, University of Essex, UK. I am excited to be curating a new project called Heartburn which is theatre performance and workshop both exploring and collecting women's experience www.heartburnwomen.com.
I am relieved that after so many years of making theatre, it is still the greatest thrill imaginable.