Christian Stückl was made an honorary citizen - the director bowed to the performers of the Passion

Created: 05/16/2022, 19:00

By: Andreas Mayr

Distracts from his performance and pays tribute to that of the Passions contributors: Christian Stückl.

©Andreas Mayr

Oberammergau has an honorary citizen again: One and a half years after the municipal council decision, Mayor Andreas Rödl presented the village's highest award to Christian Stückl - right where he wanted it: in the midst of his actors.

Oberammergau

– It is almost never the case that Christian Stückl pushes himself off the stage.

At the Volkstheater in Munich, he recently told Bayerischer Rundfunk that he gets annoyed every time he has to leave the stage and the actors take over.

But Sunday night was different.

Christian Stückl, director of the Passion Play and now also officially an honorary citizen, suddenly found himself quite alone next to Mayor Andreas Rödl (CSU) on this small podium in the large tent.

Almost like Pilate in the tenth scene of the Passion.

His actors are spread out in front of him on beer benches, many are his friends, some belong to the family.

"I feel way too far away," he said into the microphone and stepped into the crowd, to his people, where he belongs.

Immortalized in the Golden Book of the municipality of Oberammergau: Passion Play director Christian Stückl with Mayor Andreas Rödl (l.).

© Mayr

Stückl did not want to accept this honor, the highest in the village, in the town hall in front of a few invited guests.

But right next to the place of his work.

As an Oberammergauer you live and honor the Passion - not the other way around.

"I wanted it here because it belongs there," says the 60-year-old.

There was not only his personal honor to be celebrated, but also the successful premiere.

"Nobody has done it that well," he said about the start and bowed to his actors.

"Thank you thank you thank you."

Mayor took the initiative

He has a “good bunch” there, especially a young one.

Stückl has set himself the goal of rejuvenating the passion of growing the plants themselves.

"I feel like you have to hand it over to them." Some of the young actors "I really fell in love with," the director said.

If you want to reduce this award to an achievement, which is not possible anyway, then that Stückl has left the path of renewal since his first game in 1990.

The Passions participants have a blast, including Stückl's good friend Anton Preisinger (3rd from right).

© Mayr

As early as November 2020, the municipal council had raised him to the honorary status.

At that time on the initiative of Mayor Rödl, whom the youth recently celebrated with shouts of "Andi".

He had the honorary certificate redesigned by the artist Christina Dichtl.

After the death of the former district administrator Dr.

Helmut Fischer the only living honorary citizen.

He gets free entry to the museum or for the Laberbergbahn, even if he will never use it anyway.

And of course grave care for eternity.

"The grave is secured," he joked.

"I hope I won't need it for a long time."

No “normal” eulogy

The other surprises of the evening were served by Josef Köpf, whose appearances as the Lenten preacher Brother Barnabas are still remembered by many Oberammergau residents.

Disguised as a priest, he entered the stage, escorted by the Riederinger Musikanten, whom Stückl particularly enjoys listening to and who had invited to the premiere the day before.

They pressed a censer from a tin can into the hands of the game master, the acolyte who was unable to attend.

In his youth, the Passions-Impresario staged church services as a sacristan.

Quasi his early first works.

In this respect, it was already a symbolic homage to Stückl's work and influence.

Disguised as a priest, Josef Köpf, accompanied by the Riederinger musicians, holds the witty eulogy.

© mayr

Köpf addressed the honoree as our “fellow brother Christian”.

A normal laudatory speech, says the former deputy mayor, would not have existed with him.

He wanted something clever.

And how the people of Oberammergau laughed when Köpf began to pray.

He listed who wanted to thank the honorary citizen.

The fire brigade, for example, who now know: "If there's a fire in the theater, it can't be from your cigarettes."

Such a thirst

He sent greetings from the police that he was welcome to continue parking in the no-parking area, provided he had the certificate on the windscreen.

And from America, from the Lucky Strike tobacco company, he heard complaints that they had to lay off 100 employees because the piece no longer smokes.

Köpf closed each verse with a hallelujah call.

That resulted in a 20-fold hallelujah out of respect "for the steamship, because it never smokes", as it finally sounded from over a thousand throats.

Shortly before half past twelve they turned up the bass for the party, and Stückl stated that he wanted to go home earlier today.

The day before at the premiere he was drinking with a few friends.

He never manages to do that much otherwise.

"They just flowed in."