Between September 2-6, 2024, together with the German Cultural Centre in Timisoara and the Goethe Institute in Bucharest, the German State Theatre Timisoara (TGST) is organizing a choral singing workshop for the actors and actresses of the artistic ensemble.


During 5 days, Ulrike Schulze and Lea Merten, experienced stage speech coaches, will lead workshops on vocal techniques (articulation, speed, pauses, rhythm, melody) and choral techniques (breathing, conducting, group behavior, concentration).

Ulrike Schulze studied speech sciences at the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, after which she transferred to the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart. There she completed her bachelor's and master's studies in speech. Besides her workshops, Ulrike also does voice-over. Her voice can be heard in radio reports, documentaries and art films, among others. Since spring 2023 she is a regular collaborator of the German State Theater in Timisoara.

Lea Merten is a speech therapy teacher. She studied speech therapy at the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg, after obtaining her graduation certificate, Lea has completed numerous internships and continuing education programs, including acting, choral speech and phonetics. She has also worked at the Faculty of Medicine at the Martin Luther University of Halle and at the Institute of German Studies at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, where she has held training and speech seminars. This is her first collaboration with TGST.

The aim of the choral workshop is to perfect stage speech through choral techniques. The actors and actresses take on a specific role in the choir, and the group dynamics benefit from the cooperative relationships that are created between the participants. The aim is for each participant to be able to very clearly define their role within a group, which is useful later in their performances and in their individual relationships on stage.



In order to be able to respond optimally to the needs of different directors, stage speech coaches work with different types of texts, which, depending on their difficulty, require different approaches and techniques. For example, poetry and prose have different requirements in terms of articulation and rhythm.



Therefore, these workshops will optimize the ability of TGST actors and actresses to communicate with the audience, and will help the artistic ensemble to more easily convey the emotions of the characters they are playing.



All the more reason to look forward to seeing you at TGST performances in September!