Dolores Schmidinger was born in 1946 and was still a little girl when she had her first piano lessons. Following her training at the Schauspielschule Krauss, she appeared at the Volkstheater, the Theater an der Wien and the Theater in der Josefstadt. Her roles included Polly Peachum in THE THREEPENNY OPERA, Julie in Molnár’s LILIOM, and various parts in CABARET. Dolores Schmidinger created the role of Sie in the original production of Peter Turrini’s ROZZNJOGD. She has also appeared in film and TV productions, including the classic series “Ein echter Wiener geht nicht unter”. She has been writing and performing in her own cabaret shows since 1988, winning a “Salzburger Stier” cabaret award for her show DIE NACKTE MATRONE in 1994. Dolores Schmidinger is also a writer and for many years wrote columns for the “Arbeiter-Zeitung”. In 1999, her book “Raus damit”, a satirical exploration of her struggle with an eating disorder, made it onto numerous bestseller lists. She is campaigns against racism, torture, and violence against children, and is an active member of the charity Aids Hilfe. Dolores Schmidinger made her directorial debut with THE BEGGAR STUDENT at the Léhar Festival in Bad Ischl, and has subsequently directed a number of productions, including THE GYPSY BARON (Bad Ischl) and THE BIRD SELLER (Landestheater Linz).