Who We Are

Heidi Wiley

Heidi Wiley has been Executive Director of the European Theatre Convention (ETC) since 2009. Under her leadership, ETC has become an established European cultural network with an international programme of artistic collaboration, professional development and advocacy for Europe’s public theatres, spanning over 30 countries. She led ETC to become a strategic partner of the European Commission and the recipient of  several prestigious prizes, including the 2022 Art Explora – Académie des Beaux-Arts European Award for innovation in access to culture; and European prizes for outstanding achievement in the fields of audience development and cultural heritage. Heidi is a sought after moderator and speaker at European events and conferences. In 2022, Speaker at the 8th Culture & RTBF Meeting; 2021, Consultant for European cultural policy agencies KEA (Brussels) and PPMI (Vilnius); 2020, Co-initiator of the 1st European Theatre Forum of the European Commission and the German EU Council Presidency; 2019, Author for the European Expert Network on Culture and Audiovisual (EENCA). Heidi started her career as international producer and touring manager for artists Victoria Chaplin and the Tiger Lillies, touring around Europe and Asia at major festivals and theatre venues. A studied cultural manager with degrees from La Sorbonne and Leuphana University, she lived and worked over the last 25 years in the UK, US, France and Germany.

Laura Gardes

Laura is a cultural project manager, specialising in initiatives funded by Creative Europe. With a strong track record, she has successfully managed Voices of Culture - the structured Dialogue between the European Commission and the Cultural Sector as part of the Goethe-Institut Brussels team. She has provided crucial support to the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance in implementing their international cultural programme. Notably, Laura has led JUMP, a groundbreaking music market accelerator initiated by MaMA Festival and Convention Paris, where she empowered music business professionals to cultivate and execute innovative ideas. Drawing on her rich multicultural background developed through studies and work experiences in Germany, France, Belgium and Sweden, Laura holds a Masters in Euroculture.

Tel.: +49 30 284 41 460
Mobile: +49 172 357 32 45
Email: lgardes@europeantheatre.eu

Teresa Pfaud

Teresa Pfaud studied Cultural Sciences and French Philology at the University of Potsdam and General Management at Nordakademie Graduate School in Hamburg. After internships at the Ministry of Culture and Youth in Costa Rica and Museo del Baile Flamenco in Sevilla (Spain), she worked in Berlin for the PR agency ARTEFAKT Kulturkonzepte and for the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden, where she conducted workshops and co-founded the project “Opernshots”. She joined ETC in 2015 as Project Coordinator of the artistic collaboration projects.

(photo by Cornelia Gloth)

Tel.: +49 30 284 41 207
Mobile: +49 172 356 74 63
Email: tpfaud@europeantheatre.eu

Annabell Blank

Annabell is a project manager with extensive experience across a variety of sectors in the arts. Passionate about holistic approaches to international cultural collaboration, she has worked with institutions like the English National Opera, the Grimme-Institute, the artist agency Impresariat Simmenauer, and the University of Cologne New York Office. She has devised academic conferences and co-authored essays on digital sovereignty, media aesthetics and the public sphere at the University of Cologne, from which she holds a Master’s in Media and Culture Studies.

Tel.: +49 30 284 41 207
Mobile: +49 172 356 74 63
Email: ablank@europeantheatre.eu 

Christy Romer

Christy studied International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. After internships at political consultancy firms and national newspapers, he spent four years as a journalist at the arts policy magazine ArtsProfessional, then contributed articles as a freelance writer to The Guardian, The Independent, El País and City Lab. He joined ETC in October 2020.

(photo by Irene Arroyo)

Tel.: +49 30 284 41 460
Mobile: +49 17 235 720 92
Email: communication@europeantheatre.eu 

Özgül Demiralp

Özgül Demiralp studied International Relations at the University of Geneva and Journalism and Communication at the Freie Universität Berlin. She started her career as a news reporter at a Swiss television channel, and has since then worked as a journalist and editor for various print, online and broadcast media, including an international video news agency. She has an established track record of covering local and international current affairs, as well as topics related to culture and sustainability. She joined ETC in February 2023.

(photo by Ines Grabner)

Tel.: +49 30 28 441 460
Mobile: +49 152 0995 1087
Email: odemiralp@europeantheatre.eu

Žad Novak

Žad studied German Language, Comparative Literature with a minor in Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow with an exchange year at FU Berlin. She is currently undertaking an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in European Societies, Politics and Culture in Global Context (Euroculture) at University of Göttingen and University of Groningen. Simultaneously with her studies, for the last 7 years, Žad has also worked as a project-basis assistant director at Croatian National Theatre Zagreb, Zagreb Youth Theatre (ZKM), Gavella Theatre Zagreb, Zagreb Puppet Theatre and Tron Theatre Glasgow; and has done two Regiehospitanzen at Schaubühne Berlin and Deutsches Theater Göttingen. During summers, she often takes on different roles with the Edinburgh Fringe Society. She joined ETC in September 2023 as a Project Management intern, and then transitioned into her Project Managament and Administration Assistant role in March 2024.

Tel.: +49 30 284 41 207
Mobile:+49 157 5336 78 04
E-Mail: assistant@europeantheatre.eu