Melanie Straub

Melanie Straub (born 1976 in Waiblingen) is a German actress. Melanie Straub wanted to become an actress even as a child; however, she initially began with pantomime, as she felt she was too shy at the time. After graduating from high school, and at her parents' request, she first completed training as a physiotherapist; she subsequently worked for about a year in a psychiatric facility, where she led a theater group for patients with substance use disorders. From 2000 to 2003/04, she studied acting at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin. In 2004, she received the Ensemble Prize at the Theatertreffen deutschsprachiger Schauspielstudierender (Theater Festival for German-Speaking Acting Students) in Graz for her performance in *Die Gerechten*. Her first permanent engagement took her to Schauspiel Magdeburg, where she was a member of the ensemble starting in 2004. There, she played—among other roles—Effi Briest, Lady Macbeth, and the title roles in *Maria Stuart*, *Iphigenie auf Tauris*, and *Emilia Galotti*. In 2006, she was awarded the Young Artists' Sponsorship Prize at Theater Magdeburg, and in 2010, she received the Otto Kasten Prize for young theater artists.