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Celena Pieper (left) as Anna together with Sabrina Weckerlin as Princess Elsa
Photo:
Morris MacMatzen
The start into working life is exciting, exhausting - and often completely different than planned. In the series “My first year in the job”, young professionals tell how they experienced this time. This time: Celena Pieper, 26, works as a musical performer for Stage Entertainment, currently she can be seen in the role of Anna in the musical »The Ice Queen«.
"I live my dream.
I was already in the children's choir at school, and in the third grade I had my first little solo appearance in a musical.
When the parents applauded, I felt: this is my thing.
My mom was behind me from the start, my dad was a little more cautious.
From the rest of the family I often heard the standard saying: ›Do something sensible.‹ So I first got my technical college entrance qualification - and then applied to musical schools.
In August 2015 I started my training as a musical actress at the Institute for Music at the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.
A year later I performed on ›The Voice of Germany‹ just for fun, that was a great experience.
The course includes training in singing, dance and acting.
That stole a lot of my strength.
After the acting class, I was mentally tired, after dancing physically.
It was always about getting better and better, that creates a lot of pressure.
But that fell away with the first job.
Immediately after graduating in May 2019, I got a job at the renowned open-air theater in Tecklenburg.
Only one year later I took on a leading role in ›Tanz der Vampire‹ at the Stage Metronom Theater in Oberhausen.
Since November I have been playing the role of Anna in Disney's ›The Ice Queen‹ in Hamburg.
Anna, the sister of the main character Princess Elsa, falls head over heels in love with Prince Hans and wants to get engaged - which Elsa doesn't like at all.
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When auditioning for musicals, the appearance is very important.
You don't have to be a prima ballerina or have won ›The Voice‹.
Of course you need talent, but nobody is perfect in all three disciplines.
For example, singing is the easiest for me.
In acting and dancing, on the other hand, there are always challenges waiting for me.
When I see dancers getting their legs up to their heads, I don't say to myself: Oh man, why can't I do it?
Instead, I try to stick with myself and just keep learning.
Salaries are kept secret
My body is the most important tool in my job.
I have to take good care of myself so that I can do it for as long as possible.
I don't smoke, drink alcohol very rarely, and try to eat healthily.
After the show I also treat myself to chocolate bars and cookies, my body needs that as a reward.
Otherwise I go through the world as carefully as possible.
We musical actors: inside get temporary contracts, my contract with Stage, for example, runs until next October.
We are not allowed to talk about the size of the salary.
But I can say this much: I find it very unfair that, as one of the main actors, I get a lot more than dancers or musicians in the background.
I hope something will finally change soon.
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Celena Pieper: "I've achieved what I've dreamed of for so long"
Photo:
Elisa Doorn
We started rehearsals for the Frozen in September, and the premiere was at the beginning of November.
My day now looks like this: I sleep late and have a good breakfast.
Then I do everyday things like shopping or laundry.
Around 5 p.m. I go to the theater and warm up my body and voice.
Sometimes we briefly talk about things that didn't go so well on the show the night before, or practice specific poses such as lifts or fight scenes.
At 6.30 p.m., the make-up starts, and the show starts an hour later.
Only on Saturdays it works differently, there are two shows in a row.
I'm still nervous before gigs, but just recently I had a show where I was able to completely block out the audience.
I was so absorbed in this world, had confidence in my body and could just really enjoy it.
When I tell this, I notice how happy I am.
I've done what I've dreamed of for so long.
And that in such a short time, after only two years - and with a corona break in between.
From April 2020 to October 2021 I didn't have any performances apart from live streams, the musical theaters were closed.
On the one hand it was
A great challenge for my colleagues and me: We didn't know when we would continue, whether the industry would survive it at all, and at the same time we had to keep our bodies fit.
On the other hand, I used the time to write my bachelor thesis on ›Dance of the Vampires‹ and the question of how to turn a film into a musical.
Without the shutdown, I would probably not have done that anymore.
Nevertheless, I am of course very happy that we can finally perform again.
We actors: after all, we live for the applause.
I hope that I can continue to do my job for a long time.
If at some point I am too old for the stage or if my body no longer participates, I might appear as a singer at weddings. "
Have you just started your career yourself and would like to tell us about it? Then write to us at SPIEGEL-Start@spiegel.de.
