Ina Jaich
Actress, director, teacher.
Also this year we would like to send you the best wishes and seasons greetings by pointing out a contribution from the field of art and culture that is close to our hearts.
Ina Jaich, photographed by Urban Ruths
Ina Jaich is an actress for theater, film and TV, she directed her first play this year and teaches professional actors. She answered a few questions for our Christmas article.
Why are you an actress?
I am interested in (life) stories, social and political contexts and from an early age I had the urge to find out what it means to be human. I didn't just want to understand it intellectually, I also wanted to experience and feel it. Apart from the fact that it is a wonderful process to develop something together with other people that is ultimately alive and stands for itself.
Ina Jaich in the movie Viva Forever
After completing my acting training, I worked in a wide variety of formats, from well-known plays to experimental works in unusual venues, from improvisational films to classic ZDF early-evening crime dramas.
As far as my acting style is concerned, I stand for an authentic, lively and moment-driven performance and try to make all the contradictions that arise shimmer at the same time.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to be able to pass on my experience and teach acting students in an international context, currently in 2 course formats per year.
Ina Jaich teaching acting, photographed by Kimi Palme
And now you've directed for the first time?
Yes, together with the filmmaker and visual artist Jennifer Mattes, I directed the theater monologue "DAIMON. Die Namenlose" at Werk X in Vienna and at the same time I was on stage as an actress in it. The collaboration with Jenni, nourished by our different artistic backgrounds, led to both a theatrical and cinematic realization. During the 90 minutes on stage, I constantly interacted with a cell phone camera (IPhone) and shot a film, so to speak, that made another level of the events visible.
Ina Jaich in DAIMON. Die Namenlose, photographed by Apollonia Theresa Bitzan
What was the process like for you from the idea to the premiere?
The project was initiated by two people: Cornelia Anhaus, the then director of Werk X Petersplatz in Vienna, who offered me the opportunity to direct a play (I had previously "only" been an actress) and Christian Kühne, an author for theater and film, who gave me the monologue that same year. Then one thing led to another, I brought Jenni on board, we founded ensemble “zij” and started developing the concept. In the end, many more people were involved.
Ina Jaich in DAIMON. Die Namenlose, photographed by Apollonia Theresa Bitzan
Very importantly, Antonia Dering was responsible for the musical level, our dramaturge Laura Brechmann held the various narrative strands together in terms of content, our producer Magdalena Stollhofer was also responsible for public relations, and the theater director Luk Perceval, whom I had met in 2020 during a project at the National Theater Ghent, came three times during our six-week rehearsals to reflect on the process with us.
Ina Jaich in DAIMON. Die Namenlose, photographed by Apollonia Theresa Bitzan
As the content of the play is about the inner life of a person and their existential search for a new way of life, we decided to use a birch forest as the starting point.
Ina Jaich in DAIMON. Die Namenlose, photographed by Apollonia Theresa Bitzan
The floor was covered with leaves, in this case not those that had fallen from the tree, but figuratively white paper printed with quotes from women from literary history who, like our protagonist, were confronted with not being able to conform to a social norm. The excerpts from Marylin Monroe, Virginia Wolf and Audrey Lorde, among others, could also be heard in a sound collage at one point in the production.
Ina Jaich in DAIMON. Die Namenlose, photographed by Apollonia Theresa Bitzan
What are you doing next and where can we find out more about you on the Internet?
We are currently preparing a play about the diaries of a great author of the last century. We will be working on creatively relating the unique handwriting of this person during the moving events of the war and pre-war periods to current political circumstances.
Here you can find more texts and information about the play DAIMON Die Namenlose:
Here you can find out all about my current projects:
...and here about the team:
We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and successful New Year 2024! We thank you for your trust and are looking forward to go further steps together in the new year.
With best regards
The STREMLER team and Ina Jaich
Ina Jaich, photographed by Kimi Palme
