 After graduating from the Royal Conservatory in Brussels De Pauw founded the mime theatre group Radeis International (1976), and after that Schaamte, the theatre company that would be the start of the Brussels Kaaitheater.He both writes and performs in highly regarded theatre plays such as "Larf" and "Weg" (both with music by Peter Vermeersch, and has received many awards for his works, such as the Océ Podium Prize for his entire oeuvre in 2000.He has led theatre companies such as Het Net (Bruges), Victoria (Ghent) and Het Toneelhuis (Antwerp).