Dorfen: "Faust has magic"

Created: 06/17/2022, 09:00

By: Michaele Heske

Burning with enthusiasm: Andreas Wiedermann (left) and Ernst Bartmann will probably stage "Faust" as a big open-air spectacle in 2023 against the picturesque backdrop of the Unterer Markt.

© Michaele Heske

Not all Dorfen city councilors were enthusiastic about the Goethe classic "Faust" as an open-air spectacle for the city's anniversary in 2023.

The mood has changed now.

Dorfen - The planned open-air production of Goethe's "Faust" for the 1250th anniversary of Dorfen in 2023 was not only met with approval in Dorfen's city council.

It was said to be too intellectual, too expensive - and shouldn't the "beer war" be on the agenda again?

On Wednesday, Ernst Bartmann and Andreas Wiedermann presented their concept for the planned open-air spectacle to the main and finance committee and inspired with a concept that involves the population.

At the end of the session, the city councilors asked themselves the crucial question in a non-public session: Is the Faust spectacle worth it?

If Ulli Frank-Mayer, leader of the Greens, had not submitted an application, the entire debate would have been held behind closed doors.

"The 1250th anniversary is in the public interest," she explained at the beginning of the meeting.

"If Dorfen celebrates extensively in the coming year, we must also discuss what is on the festival program." It is also not a good signal if the general public is excluded from the outset at a festival for all citizens, said Frank-Mayer.

And SPD city councilor Michaela Meister added: "Even budget negotiations always have to be conducted in public."

Money was not discussed in front of the few listeners in the town hall on Wednesday, but thanks to the application Bartmann and Wiedermann, known for many productions of Opera Incognita at the Jakobmayer, were able to present their concept.

They see the scenery on the lower market as optimally suited for a staging of this magnitude.

"Faust has magic," enthused Wiedermann, who will direct the play.

"It doesn't matter whether it's the witches' sabbath, the Easter walk or the tavern scene - it will be a spectacle that many villagers can take part in." The citizens should already be involved in the rehearsals.

Bartmann also wants to take care of musical and show effects as musical director.

The material is as up-to-date as it was in Goethe's time, emphasized Wiedermann: "People think they know an awful lot, Faust is actually a personified supercomputer.

The story carries over well to the present day.

It also represents the reality of life in our generation – for the never-ending search for happiness.”

So nothing with a yellow Reclam booklet and gray theory, to paraphrase Mephisto.

"I was also skeptical at first - but it's going to be really cool," said Martin Bachmaier after the presentation.

It is possible that old master Goethe would not have liked this formulation, but the CSU city council is quite right on the matter.

Because the protagonists Bartmann and Wiedermann literally burned with enthusiasm and infected those present with their ideas.

"We really want to have a blast at the anniversary," explained cultural advisor and deputy mayor Ludwig Rudolf.

And: “The beer war has ridden itself to death.

With Faust we are setting new accents in the district and will thus also reach a foreign audience.” After all, the material also offers a lot of potential for an original Dorfen interpretation and adaptation.

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Eight performances are planned over the five weekends from mid-June to mid-July 2023, with alternative dates planned for possible cancellations due to bad weather.

It is calculated with a total of 6000 spectators.

"Then the performances would also have to cover costs," said Sigrid Wiedenhofer, who, as project manager, is coordinating the Dorfen city anniversary.