WRITER & THEATER DIRECTOR

Elena Karakouli was born in Athens, Greece. She graduated with a degree in Classics and Modern Greek (1992-1996), as well as Theatre Studies (1996-2000), from the Athens University. From 2006 until 2008 she has done her Master's in Dramaturgy at Ruhr University, in Bochum Germany.

Meanwhile she cooperated in the following performances: Penthesilea, Bochum Schauspielhaus (Regie: Lisa Nielebock), Mass für Mass, Thalia Theater Hamburg (Regie: Stefan Bachmann), Ein Teil der Gans, Deutsches Theater, Berlin (Regie: Philipp Preuss), Anatomie Titus Fall of Rome, Deutsches Theater Berlin (Regie: Dimiter Gotscheff). In 2010 she participated in the Berliner Festspiele, at the new Artists Forum. 

She worked as a dramaturg at the National Theatre in Athens, Greece (2008-2013). Some of the performances she was involved with, are: The Persians (Director: D.Gotscheff), Leonce and Lena (Director: L. Chetouane), Orestis (Director: Yiannis Houvardas), Platonov ( Director: Giorgos Lanthimos), The Golden Dragon (Director: Karerina Evagelatos), Emilia Galotti ( Director: Yiannis Houvardas) etc.  Since 1998 she is working as a Modern Greek and Theatre teacher at the German School of Athens.

In 2015 she directed The woman from the past by Roland Schimmelphenig at Poreia Theatre. In 2016 the play Catch the butcher by Adam Seidel at the Ilissia Volanakis Theatre. In 2019 she directed the play Himmelweg by Juan Mayorga for the Athens Festival. In 2023 she directed Scenes from a marriage by Ingmar Bergman in Pireus Theater and in 2024 she directed True West by Sam Shepard in Chora Theater. Ten Ways to Feel Exposed is her first book.