Biography
ABOUT
Polina was born 1993 in Moscow and spent her childhood in Germany. She grew up amidst German, Russian and Jewish cultures. After completing her directing studies in Moscow, she worked as an independent director in repertory theaters in the Russian-speaking field. In 2021, she became a mother and moved back to Germany with her family, settling in Heidelberg. Parallel to this transition, she began the Master studies "Expanded Theater" in Bern (Switzerland).
Her Master's project, 'Frontstage' - a documentary piece about manhood between game and war, involving a Ukrainian and a Russian actor - was invited to the Heidelberger Stückemarkt in 2024. In the same year, Polina also got selected for the International Forum of the Theatertreffen. In 2025, she directed "My beloved country", an exiled Russian project based on the book by journalist Elena Kostyuchenko. The production premiered at Kunstfest Weimar.
In her artistic work, Polina is interested in personal experiences and perspectives within social and political contexts. At the core of her practice is a scenic exploration of questions of identity and belonging. She understands multilingualism as an artistic tool. Her working approach is playful and occasionally engages with documentary methods. Her artistic goal is to build cultural bridges - both on stage and in the relationship with the audience.
Polina works with both professional actors and non-professional performers. She is a co-founder of the theatre collective OSTsisters (Switzerland), which explores from a feminist perspective how historical processes and political events shape identities. In addition, she leads the Russian-speaking community theatre group “Ludi” (Modellierton e.V. Heidelberg).
Education
2010-2014 Management faculty at the Moscow Art Theatre School (Школа-студия МХАТ)
2014-2018 Theatre directing at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (РАТИ-ГИТИС-Мастерская О.Л.Кудряшова)
2021- 2023 Master program "Expanded Theater" Hochschule der Künste in Bern (Switzerland)
Her Master's project, 'Frontstage' - a documentary piece about manhood between game and war, involving a Ukrainian and a Russian actor - was invited to the Heidelberger Stückemarkt in 2024. In the same year, Polina also got selected for the International Forum of the Theatertreffen. In 2025, she directed "My beloved country", an exiled Russian project based on the book by journalist Elena Kostyuchenko. The production premiered at Kunstfest Weimar.
In her artistic work, Polina is interested in personal experiences and perspectives within social and political contexts. At the core of her practice is a scenic exploration of questions of identity and belonging. She understands multilingualism as an artistic tool. Her working approach is playful and occasionally engages with documentary methods. Her artistic goal is to build cultural bridges - both on stage and in the relationship with the audience.
Polina works with both professional actors and non-professional performers. She is a co-founder of the theatre collective OSTsisters (Switzerland), which explores from a feminist perspective how historical processes and political events shape identities. In addition, she leads the Russian-speaking community theatre group “Ludi” (Modellierton e.V. Heidelberg).
Education
2010-2014 Management faculty at the Moscow Art Theatre School (Школа-студия МХАТ)
2014-2018 Theatre directing at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (РАТИ-ГИТИС-Мастерская О.Л.Кудряшова)
2021- 2023 Master program "Expanded Theater" Hochschule der Künste in Bern (Switzerland)
Email: polina.aurum@gmail.com