Together, not so lonely

What’s the first thing that springs to mind when we think of musketeers? Probably the slogan “One for all – all for one!”. Musketeers stick together. And sticking together is not only the subject of this year’s children’s opera, commissioned by jung&jede*r: Musketiere! In the play Mein ziemlich seltsamer Freund Walter by Sibylle Berg, an extraterrestrial has to show up to make the world a bit more affectionate and friendly. And what may the mythical characters of the third jung&jede*r production get up to when they roam the mountains around Salzburg together?

“Basically, Musketiere! is about all the things we can do when we stick up for one another and show up for our friends. We find out that everyone has something, or an ability, that helps the whole group, and that courage and self-confidence pay off. The most important message, however, is: if the Musketeer Certification Office is unwilling to issue you a Musketeer Certification, then just declare yourself a musketeer!”, says the dramaturge Nikolaus Stenitzer. The libretto for Sebastian Schwab’s opera – which is currently being written, commissioned by the Salzburg Festival in coproduction with the Vienna State Opera – was written by David Bösch, who also directs. Sebastian Schwab has written some fantastic music for it, transforming the exciting adventures and turbulent conflicts into vibrant musical theatre for children.

© SF/Marco Borrelli

Even before the children’s opera has its world premiere at the Schauspielhaus Salzburg at the end of July, this year will see the fifth round of From Abtenau to Zell am See. In cooperation with cultural centres and schools, two jung&jede*r productions will tour throughout the State of Salzburg, before joining the youth programme at the Schauspielhaus Salzburg in July and August. One of the travelling productions is Mein ziemlich seltsamer Freund Walter (My Pretty Strange Friend Walter) by Sibylle Berg. Its main protagonist, Lisa, feels very lonely, until one day she meets Klakalnamanazdta, an extraterrestrial – whom she simply calls Walter, and with whom she suddenly doesn’t feel so lonely anymore. The production dramaturge Maria Leitgab reports on the rehearsals, which started in March: “The piece is about true friendship, the beginning of growing up, the search for solidarity in our daily lives, for small moments that help dispel loneliness, and for the Walter who exists in each and every one of us.”

© SF/Marco Borrelli

From the cosmos to Salzburg’s mountain ranges: the forests and mountains of the Salzburg region are home to Frau Perchta, the magician Jackl, the giant Abfalter, and sometimes even the whole Wild Hunt. The team behind the mobile musical theatre production Berge flüstern laut (Mountains Whisper Loudly) brings these ancient figures and stories to life for a young audience aged 8 and up.

“Inspired by our work with elementary school children, we started thinking about the reasons why the characters in the legends act the way they do, and what other stories they might have experienced? Did some of them know each other previously, without our knowledge?”, Maria Leitgab describes the rehearsal and development process. “And so we set about putting our play together – slowly, an atmospheric world unfolds, full of violin and recorder sounds and great stories for the children to delve into.”