Kaća Čelan

is an award-winning writer and theater director from former Yugoslavia and Germany. She is the founder of Theater TAS. 

She holds a degree in comparative literature, theater studies, and acting from the University of Philosophy in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Čelan has directed 49 productions, mostly under Theater TAS, which she founded in Sarajevo as Teatar Amfiteatar Sarajevo (TAS) in 1984 and later reestablished in Germany (Theater TAS in Exile, then Theater TAS at Burgau Castle, 1993-2006), New York (2009-2012) and most recently in Los Angeles (2014). After the New York productions of “Yard Sale: New Footfalls...” (chashama, 2009 & DUMBO Arts Festival, 2010) and her play “The Last Story” (HERE Arts Center, 2011), she continued her US theater journey directing Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s “Blood on the Cat’s Neck” in collaboration with the Goethe-Institute LA, as well as her play “Woyzeck von Sarajevo” presented as a multimedia reading at the USC-Max Kade Institute (both in 2014). Other directing works include: “Hackefey” (Theater Düren), “The Evenings” by Gerard Reve and her play “Chekhov” (both at the WLT, The State Theater of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany), “Animal Cabaret” (SMG Ljubljana) and “The Wall, the Lake” (The Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre, Egypt). Furthermore, she was producer of the International Theater Festival in Kotor (Montenegro).

Her radio and theater plays have been produced internationally by Radio & Television Sarajevo, Radio Slovenia, WDR, Bayerischer Rundfunk, National Theater Subotica and Theater Bonn.

Aside from establishing her acting and theater schools both in Sarajevo and Germany (Celan Theater School at Burgau Castle, 1999), she has worked as directing professor at the Academy for Scenic Arts in Sarajevo.

She held fellowships in Moscow (1988), Vienna (1990) and Germany (Heinrich Böll Foundation, 1993).

Čelan’s awards include: Best Young Actress in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1983), the Yugoslavian Award for Avant-Garde Arts in Zagreb (1983), Best Director Award at the Avant-Garde Theater Festival in Montenegro (1985), the Dramatist Award from the Theatergemeinde Deutschland for Best German-language Play for her play “Heimatbuch” (1995), the International Literature Award for Poetry – Kristal Vilenice (1996) and the Artist Award of the Cultural Minister of North-Rhine-Westphalia in the field Theater Literature (1997).