Performing Arts Jury

Carolin Hensel-Lippold studied Cultural Studies and Aesthetic Practice at the University of Hildesheim. After working at the theater and in the independent cultural scene, she joined the agency DACAPO Kultur Offensiv! in 2006 as a project developer and manager. A milestone during this time was the development of the on-and-off-stage project URBANATIX  and the training center for movement art OPEN SPACE. Since 2023, she has been working for the Neuer Zirkus Ruhr project office with the aim of increasing the visibility of New Circus as an independent, forward-looking art form in the Ruhr region and anchoring it permanently in the region as a diverse, low-threshold genre. The project office is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the Neue Künste Ruhr.

Since January 2022, Eva Maj has been the managing director of the Landesverband Freie Tanz- und Theaterschaffende Baden-Württemberg e.V. (LaFT BW). She has been working for the association in various functions for the association and has worked tirelessly to promote the interests of dance and theater professionals in the region.

Since its foundation in 1991, LaFT BW has made a significant contribution to promoting and supporting the independent dance and theater scene in Baden-Württemberg.

On behalf of the state, LaFT BW supports outstanding projects in the independent scene. The association is committed to the interests and state-wide recognition and development of independent theater with a with a special focus on professional freelance artists in the areas of children's, youth and adult theater.

Gisela Nyfeler has been managing the multi-genre Casino Theater Burgdorf, not far from Bern (CH), since summer 2024. Prior to this, she managed the Schweizer Künstlerbörse, the Swiss equivalent of the IKF, which takes place annually in Thun. The theater scholar and cultural manager has been working as a freelance director for drama, music theater and transdisciplinary projects for over 20 years. As a dramaturge, she writes stage adaptations for live radio plays and comic readings and collaborates on dance theater productions.
Gisela Nyfeler was already on the jury for the IKF 2021.

Maik M. Paulsen, Managing Director of the creative agency PAULSEN & CONSORTEN GMBH, is an all-rounder in the art of variety. For many years he entertained audiences as a juggler and unicycle artist. He is the producer and artistic director of the variety production BEST OF VARIETÉ and the street theater festival TILL THE SKY. He is also the artistic project manager for the variety shows at the Neuen Theater Höchst. With his agency, he is responsible for the management of various artists from the performing arts. Maik M. Paulsen is an active artist himself. He entertains guests at international business events as a "real cardsharp" at his casino table. Whenever the Berliner-by-choice is bored, he takes on the shell game players on Berlin's Kudamm.