Karl Schappell, originally from Allentown, PA, studied dance at Temple University. For the next few years he worked with many of the cities major choreographers, including Terry Beck and Melanie Stewart, while also choreographing and performing with his own pick up company Big Dog Dance.
In 1993, Karl relocated to London, where he worked as a performer with Theatre Encorps and Krakeel. He then moved to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and began to work with Remote Control/Michel Laub Productions, the renowned avant-garde theatre company. He worked on 4 productions with Remote Control, that were shown in Theatre Am Turm, Frankfurt, Dansenhuis, Stockholm, The Hebbel Theatre, Berlin.
Schappell also worked with Raz/Hans Tuerlings, a Netherlands based Dance Theatre Company, creating and performing in 8 works that toured The Netherlands, Italy, Germany, and Great Britain. In 1998, Schappell choreographed ‘A Clockwork Orange’ for the Deutsche Shauspeilhaus, Hamburg, Germany, one of the most prestige’s Theatre Companies in Europe.
In July of 2004, Schappell returned home to Philadelphia. Since then, Schappell has been involved with assisting other artists as a curator with The Field, and as an artist with the nEW Festival. During this time he created ‘Automatic Bastard’, collaborating with Niall Rea, an Irish Theatre Director.
‘Automatic Bastard’, premiered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, September of 2005, and in Philadelphia at The CEC. It was also selected for international festivals such as The Dublin Fringe, Dublin, Ireland, The nEW Festival in Philadelphia, and The Cathedral Quarter Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
