(she/them)
“Fran is never afraid to make brave choices when choosing texts; she always asks the difficult questions, she does not shy away from them. Her work is detailed, sharp, and speaks to our time’s most burning issues. Beautiful visual aesthetics meet organized structure and substantial content from day one of rehearsals until the last show date.” – Eftychia
“Interested in social and political issues, Fran often aims to create work that challenges and unsettles audiences. With a keen eye for detail, Fran analyzes text logically, and her work is marked by precision and clarity.” -Holly
Director
Performer
Producer
Franziska Detrez is a German theatre director and performer based in Dublin. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Directing from the Lir National Academy of Dramatic Art in Dublin. Previously, she has received a Master of Arts in Theatre Studies from the Free University in Berlin. With her German performance art collective schmarrnintelligenz, die she is constantly producing shows between theatre, performance and digital art since 2012.
Her latest directing work includes “We Are An Archipelago” by poet Erin Fornoff which was part of the 2022 Dublin Fringe Festival and “Meat” by upcoming playwright Gillian Greer as part of the Lir’s Gradfest.
She has worked as assistant director with Rough Magic, supporting Ronan Phelan on “Glue” and recently had the pleasure to assist Wayne Jordan on Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town”. In the past she has also worked at the Gandersheimer Domfestspiele in Germany and the Konzert Theater Bern in Switzerland. Since 2015 she has repeatedly collaborated with the Auroville Theatre Group in India and worked on an international coproduction between the Estonian Polygon Teater and the Auroville Theatre Group.
Franziska is continuously expanding her knowledge in various theatre practices. She took part in workshops in dance theatre under Abhilash Ningappa from Bangalore (India), Commedia dell’arte and mask theatre under the guidance of Centocani Branco Teatrale from Italy and Butoh with Rhizome Lee at the Subbody Resonance Butoh School in Dharamsala (India).
Directing Work
In Ireland
We Are An Archipelago by Erin Fornoff
“We Are An Archipelago” is a dramatic poem written and performed by Erin Fornoff and supported by a live score from pianist Johnny Taylor. In this thought-experiment two characters are washed up on the shore of a funny little island, Ocracoke: a young pregnant woman and a 99-year-old white man. While they each fight with their own demons they investigate the possibilities of an unlikely friendship. The production was part of the 2022 Dublin Fringe Festival.
MEAT by Gillian Greer
“Meat” was produced as part of the Lir Academy’s Gradfest. The play by Gillian Greer deals with the struggle between a young woman and her former boyfriend. They meet again after ten years and she has set herself a task: confront that one night that something went terribly wrong between them.
In Germany
Some Truth – Fake News and Conspiracy Theories
“Some Truth” is a wide-ranging production that included completely digital performances via the software “Zoom” as well as in-person events throughout the year 2021. The collective schmarrnintelligenz, die researched conspiracy theories with a focus on Germany and particularly German theories. The whole production finished with an exhibition at the “Künstlerhaus” in Nuremberg.
Cowboys also die somewhere
A choreographed Epitaph
The “Cowboys” are the second collaborative production by schmarrn-intelligenz, die. The performance is a 90-minute-choreography, reflecting on themes of the “Western” and cowboys in today’s pop-culture.
Samsara.
An Evening about Eternity, Vampires and other Inconveniences
“Samsara” was a small collaboration with Franziska’s friend and colleague, Daniel Behringer, which they both conceptualized together and performed in. The devised piece revolves around the pop-cultural phenomenon of “Vampires” as well as questions around circular concepts of time and repetition in history.
In India
Who sits behind my Eyes?
by Isabel de Santa Rita Vás
In 2019 Franziska was invited by the Auroville Theatre Group to direct Indian playwright Isabel de Santa Rita Vás’ play “Who sits behind my eyes?”. The play reflects the struggle of two young women and sisters in a Christian community in Goa. The production ran at the Sri Aurobindo Auditorium in Auroville.
The Great Nebula in Orion
In 2018 Franziska directed Lanford Wilson’s two-hander “The Great Nebula in Orion” in collaboration with Pitanga cultural centre for an international audience in Auroville. The play deals with the stories of two women reflecting on their common past while they have been moving further and further away from each other over the years.
Crows display playful behaviours, which are a sign of higher intelligence
Common Crow Theatre 