Blog entries for "Drama"

Dramaturge Wolfgang Wiens Dies

The man of the theater Wolfgang Wiens died this past Wednesday in Hamburg. Most recently, he was working with Andrea Breth on Kleist’s Prinz Friedrich von Homburg for the Salzburg Festival. Wolfgang Wiens was considered one of the leading dramaturges in German-language theater, who held positions at almost all the renowned theaters and enjoyed close artistic partnerships with theater stars like Robert Wilson, Andrea Breth and Jürgen Flimm. Furthermore, Wolfgang Wiens was also a successful translator. 

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Where the Bees Fly

On Meine Bienen. Eine Schneise, a piece that transcends all genres, by Händl Klaus with Musicbanda Franui

On a sunny summer day, just as a funeral was taking place in Innervillgraten in Eastern Tyrol, the beekeeper’s son Andreas Schett let a swarm of bees escape. The bees, which the boy had been supposed to watch, did not leave their hive for a nearby stone-pine or spruce, but set off in the direction of the parking lot, where the local company of marksmen was just paying homage to the dear departed. It was hot. Sweat was running down the faces and into the collars of the marksmen, buttoned tightly into their uniforms. 

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Drama Transcends Language Barriers

The drama program of the summer of 2012 transforms the Perner-Insel into a place of international encounters. Several productions will be shown this year in a foreign language, two of them are by British stage director Irina Brook: the guest performances of La Tempête in French, and Peer Gynt, produced especially for the Festival, in English. Sven-Eric Bechtolf, Director of Drama, describes how Brook manages to ignite the spark of enthusiasm regardless of any language barriers. The fact that both performances will have German subtitles provides additional assurance for all theater-goers at home in German.

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Irina Brook rehearses "Peer Gynt"

“I am quite convinced that if I admire and love my actors, they will be convincing on stage. After all, that is my task: to make these people glow.” The artist Irina Brook was born into a theatrical family. As the daughter of the stage director Peter Brook and the actress Natasha Parry, she has been in contact with theater all her life, and is at home on stages on both sides of the Atlantic. She has enjoyed her greatest success in France, although her native language is English. For Irina Brook, this switching between languages, cultures and theatrical forms seems to be as natural as breathing. For the Salzburg Festival, she is currently preparing Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. Peter Arp visited Irina Brook and her actors at a workshop in Paris.

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Preparations for the World Premiere of "Meine Bienen. Eine Schneise"

With Meine Bienen. Eine Schneise, the award-winning Austrian writer Händl Klaus has written a work for the 2012 Salzburg Festival which will have its world premiere at the Landestheater on August 23. However, it has not remained a “normal” play. The East Tyrolean Musicbanda Franui, which has won acclaim for its reinterpretations of songs by Schubert, Brahms and Mahler, has adopted the piece and will transform Händl Klaus’ play about bees into a work of musical theater.

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Theater is the Beginning

“To me, theater is the beginning,” says the young stage director Princess Zinzi Mhlongo, who presents her production Trapped at this year’s Salzburg Festival, as part of the Montblanc and Salzburg Festival Young Directors Project. Before she arrives in Salzburg, however, she will receive the most distinguished South African award for the arts.

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Faust I+II and an Alvis Hermanis Production at the Berlin Theatertreffen

The Salzburg Festival is pleased that Nicolas Stemann’s nine-hour production of Faust I + II, a 2011 co-production of the Salzburg Festival and the Thalia Theater Hamburg, has been invited to this year’s Theatertreffen in Berlin (May 4-20, 2012). The piece will be revived at the Berliner Festspiele – as one of the ten most remarkable productions of the season.

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“Mojo” celebrates premiere at London’s Barbican

Today, December 16, the Ensemble Theatre-Rites celebrates the premiere of Mojo at London’s Barbican. As part of the 2012 Salzburg Festival, the play for children (and adults) directed by Sue Buckmaster will also be performed in Salzburg. We bring you a brief preview of this enchanting co-production.

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Grand Theatrical Magic – The Program of the 2012 Salzburg Festival

On November 11, Artistic Director Alexander Pereira and Director of Drama Sven-Eric Bechtolf unveiled the eagerly anticipated program of the next Salzburg Festival, together with President Helga Rabl-Stadler. The new artistic leadership team presents new productions of classics of opera and literature, numerous world premieres and several innovations.

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Alexander Pereira begins his tenure as Artistic Director of the Festival, Sven-Eric Bechtolf is the new Director of Drama

Since today, October 1, 2011, Alexander Pereira is the new Artistic Director of the Salzburg Festival. At the same time, Sven-Eric Bechtolf becomes Director of Drama at the Salzburg Festival. President Helga Rabl-Stadler will continue to be responsible for the business agenda of the Festival. On November 11, the new Directorate will introduce the audience to the program of the 2012 Salzburg Festival.

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