Babett Arens (born July 7, 1959, inMunich) is an Austrian actress andtheater director.[1]
Babett Arens is the daughter of the acting couple Peter Arens and Margrit Ensinger.[2] She grew up in Zurich, as her parents moved from theMünchner Kammerspiele to theSchauspielhaus Zürich.[3] She attended theActing Academy from 1976 to 1979 and debuted in the year of her graduation at theBasel Theater, where she remained until 1983.[2]
Afterward, she lived in Paris for a time and joined a theater group, performing at events like theFestival d'Avignon.[3] Returning to Switzerland, she was engaged at the Schauspielhaus Zürich from 1985 to 1986, then from 1986 to 1988 at theGerman Schauspielhaus in Hamburg.[2] Following another commitment to the Schauspielhaus Zürich in 1989, Arens shifted her focus to Austria in the early 1990s, performing for about a decade at the Volkstheater Vienna,Burgtheater, andSchauspielhaus Vienna.[3] From 2001 to 2007, she was engaged atSchauspiel Frankfurt, after which she returned to working primarily in Austria, at venues such as theLandestheater Niederösterreich, Theatersommer Haag, and the theater groupAktionstheater Ensemble.[4]
Some of her notable stage roles includeElizabeth I inFriedrich Schiller’sMary Stuart, the title roles inKatharina Knie byCarl Zuckmayer andFederico García Lorca’sYerma, andFranziska inGotthold Ephraim Lessing’s comedyMinna von Barnhelm (which she cites as her favorite role).[3] Other roles includeClaire Zachanassian inFriedrich Dürrenmatt’sThe Visit andMarthe Rull inHeinrich von Kleist’sThe Broken Jug. She has frequently performed in works byElfriede Jelinek.[2]
Since the early 2010s, Arens has also directed productions in Austria, including at the Landestheater Niederösterreich and in Vienna at the KosmosTheater, the Volkstheater, and the Theater zum Fürchten. Her staging ofMaxim Gorky’sThe Lower Depths at the Theater zum Fürchten earned a nomination for theNestroy Theatre Prize for Best Off-Production. In 2016 and 2017, Arens portrayed Lady Capulet inRomeo and Juliet at the Schauspielhaus Graz.[5]
Around 1980, Arens began working in film and television. Early roles included two episodes of the seriesDerrick, followed by appearances in Swiss productions, such as Markus Imboden’s filmKatzendiebe and his modern adaptation ofHeidi, based onJohanna Spyri’s novel. She also appeared in the historical filmSisi and two episodes ofTatort.
Babett Arens lives in Vienna.[1] She is married to actor, voice artist, and director Florentin Groll.[6][7]