born on 2nd May 1949 in Düsseldorf
trained as an actor at the Folkwang-Hochschule Essen
From 1970 with Kurt Hübner at the Städtische Bühnen Bremen
One year THEATER AM TURM, Frankfurt am Main
1973/74-1979 acted at the Schauspiel Frankfurt with Peter Palitzsch, Hans Neuenfels, Augusto Fernandes, Frank Patrick Steckel and others.
1978 founded the Mobile Rhein Main Theater GmbH, started to get into the popular stage and Shakespeare. Started directing.
1981/82 Schauspielhaus Bochum with Claus Peymann
1982/83 Neumarkt Theater Zürich. Productions as a director and as an actor.
From 1983 planning and start of the bremer shakespeare company.
Founding member, actor, director and for 13 years manager of the theatre. Toured through the whole of West Germany, England, Poland, the ex-GDR, Belgium, Finland, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria and Switzerland.
Seven television broadcasts from the Theater am Leibnizplatz.
On 23rd April 1993 the bremer shakespeare company had the honour of being the first theatre wolrdwide to perform in the nearly restored new London Globe Theatre - the first performance there after 350 years. Kentrup played Falstaff in German in "The Merry Wives of Windsor". Sam Wanamaker, the founder of the Globe, wanted Kentrup to play the Shylock there when the Globe's restoration was complete.
1993 Organised the International Bremer Shakespeare Festival with Robert Lepage from Canada, Annette Leday from India, the Theatre of Parma (Italy) and the Andrez Perez Company (Chile).
1994 co-organised the International Hamletproject with German, Danish, Polish and English pupils.
1993 initiated the Shakespeare Globe Centre Germany (patrons are among others Dr. Peter Hartmann, ambassador of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland in Great Britain, Prof. Kurt Hübner, General director of the Städtische Bühnen Bremen (1962-1973) and the Freien Volksbühne Berlin (1973-1986); Dr. Helga Trüpel, senator of culture and the integration of immigrants Freie Hansestadt Bremen, Prof Dr.Dr.hc Jürgen Timm, Rector of the Universität Bremen, Heinz Abeling SET Studienkreis England and Norbert Kentrup).
1994 Member of the Artistic Board of the International Shakespeare Globe Centre London.
1995 first own Lecture about the Globe during the Shakespeare Tage in Bochum
1997 starts learning English to be able to play the Shylock in London.
1997 elected member of the ITI. Lecture tour through Finland, Sweden and England.
1998 as the first German actor ever becomes member of the first international ensemble of the Shakespeare Globe Theatre London. Rehearsals and 64 performances in English as Shylock in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" in the reconstructed Globe on the Thames.
1998 November re-elected as Member of the Artistic Board in London
From September 1998 until June 1999 "visiting professor" of theDeutschen Akademischen Austauschdienstes (DAAD) for one academic year at the Drama Program of the University of Toronto.
Talks, Workshops and Lectures (Playing Shylock in the Globe) among othersat the Universities of Montreal, Erindale York and Toronto.
June 1999 Tour with the Canadian actors to Englandand Germany with my Shakespeare production of "Twelfth Night".
September 1999 returned to the bremer shakespeare company. Lecturetours to England and Bulgaria, planning of an International Shakespeare Academy.
2000 Foundation of a German Shakespeare Globe Centre, patroned by thesenator of culture Bremen.
2001 founded SHAKESPEARE und PARTNER. Invited to several international festivals and tours with "Timon of Athens" and "Die Brüder Grimm" in a number of European countries.
Parts (a selection)
2000 "Die Brüder Grimm" by Dagmar Papula, Wilhelm Grimm
1998 "The Merchant of Venice" by Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, Shylock (in English)
1997 "Timon of Athens" by Shakespeare, Timon
1994 "Titus Andronicus" by Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus
1991 "The Merry Wives of Windsor" by Shakespeare, Falstaff
1989 "Twelth Night" by Shakespeare, Maria, fool
1988 "Mensch Herrmann" by Holger Franke, Erzengel Gabriel
1986 "Henry the IVth" by Shakespeare, Falstaff
1985 "King Lear" by Shakespeare, Lear
1985 "Othello" by Shakespeare, Othello
Productions (a selection)
"Ich, Paula, Paula Becker, Paula Becker-Modersohn" by Dagmar Papula
"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare
"Antony and Cleopatra" by William Shakespeare
"Wo ich die Welt anseh, m&oouml;cht ich sie umdrehen" by Dagmar Papula
"Two Gentlemen of Verona" by William Shakespeare
"Angel on the Train" by Dagmar Papula in Toronto
"Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare in Toronto
"The Bird Garden" by Polly Hope, Deutsche Oper am Rhein