"The pressure was extreme, now it's gone"
Created: 07/28/2022, 3:00 p.m
By: Wolfgang Krzizok
Had the Swedish games under control: general manager Erich Peinelt with the directors Renate Eßbaumer (left) and Manuela Schieder.
© Wolfgang Krzizok
The Swedish games in the center of Erding were a great success.
Almost 11,000 spectators came to the 15 performances.
Erding – The preparations could only start in February because of Corona, since March there have been rehearsals almost every day.
It was pure stress for technical director Erich Peinelt and directors Renate Eßbaumer and Manuela Schieder.
In the interview, they look back on an exciting, but also exhausting time.
How glad are you that the 2022 Sweden Games are history?
Schieder:
I look back with mixed feelings.
It was a long, exciting, beautiful time.
Eßbaumer:
I feel exhausted, but the smile on my face predominates.
Peinelt:
I'm glad it's over now.
Every day was something.
Every day someone came who needed something.
That was exhausting.
My battery is empty.
What is your personal conclusion?
Schieder:
The pressure was extreme, now it's gone.
When the last performance was over, I just cried.
Everything went well, nothing happened.
Peinelt:
Exactly.
The important thing is that nothing happened.
Eßbaumer:
Everyone was careful, with the fire or with the horses.
Schieder: That's right.
I can't remember that one would have shied away.
What is the most lasting memory?
Eßbaumer:
For me, the performance when we were all waiting for the Rittmeister, who was lying on the sofa at home.
He didn't know he had to play and literally showed up at the last second.
But that wasn't his fault, it was due to the communication.
Peinelt:
The best thing for me was seeing the grandstands full every evening.
Schieder:
I thought it was so nice that all of the 160 people on stage took part.
Everyone took it seriously.
There wasn't an extra who didn't play.
That was the best gift to the director.
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Right in the middle of the action was Erding's city pastor, Martin Garmaier, who played the mayor - and gave the pastor a few subtle tips.
Schieder:
So it's sensational.
Such a great guy.
An incredibly worldly man.
Eßbaumer:
What was funny: he had his camp bed in the camp because he had slept there from time to time, because he was regularly on the night watch.
One of our helpers brought the cot back to him when he was dismantling, and because the town priest was nowhere to be found, he put the cot in the church for him.
Then he found it – and laughed.
A word about the audience: How was the audience's response?
Eßbaumer:
Almost everyone made positive comments.
We would have heard negative criticism.
The sound wasn't that perfect in the first performances, but our technicians managed that.
The prevailing opinion was: It was a beautiful production, as relevant today as it was then.
Schieder:
I would like to thank the audience – that was unbelievable.
Theater is nothing without an audience.
Peinelt
: People have said that the play has hardly lost any of its topicality, especially in view of the war in the Ukraine.
And that it makes you think, but also gives hope.
And then there was the Swedish camp and the beer garden.
Eßbaumer:
That was also the idea that people would have fun despite the serious topic.
That was the right balance – and nobody went overboard.
Schieder:
It was an amazing community...
Eßbaumer:
... across all age limits.
Our actors were a cross-section of the Erdinger population, from unskilled workers to academics.
On stage there was no difference.
Schieder:
Young and old together – that was really amazing.
The old had fun with the young and vice versa.
It was funny that at some point a young fellow said to me: 'You don't really notice that you're that old'.
(laughs)
Was everything running smoothly in the warehouse?
Schieder:
Jörg Schnell was perfect as camp commander.
He was sovereign without end, organized everything and there was no objection.
Eßbaumer:
Jörg's demeanor and looks were simply perfect.
Then something really grew together.
Peinelt: Certainly
.
Before the performance there were many who said that they would leave the club after the Sweden games.
But as far as I can tell, everyone is sticking with it.
When are the next Sweden games? Maybe in 2028, when the city of Erding will be 800 years old and the Swedish Games will be celebrating their 50th anniversary?
Eßbaumer: The
rhythm would fit perfectly, but that has to and will be decided by the future board of the Volksspielgruppe.
Peinelt:
We've been planning the 2022 performance since 2017.
Then the road was torn up, then the tunnel was built, then came Corona.
The games will take place when we are ready.
That doesn't happen from one year to the next.
I hear some concerns about that.
Eßbaumer:
What makes things really difficult now is the bureaucracy.
You used to call once, now you have to submit five applications with three carbon copies, and six people or authorities have to agree.
Peinelt:
Although it has to be said that the city of Erding gave us great support.
Of course, sometimes there are problems, but administration, the building yard, the regulatory office – they tried everything to help us.
And if there really was a problem, there was usually a way to fix it.
There are still a few years to go until 2028, when the next Sweden game may be scheduled. What is planned for the Volksspielgruppe Altenerding in the near future?
Schieder:
At the beginning of September we'll go on a trip together, where we'll see a play.
And then there's a theater workshop for our members.
And when will we see the actors back on stage – and what can we look forward to?
Schieder:
We definitely want to play something funny, like a comedy.
Peinelt: In any
case, we have reserved the Erdinger Stadthalle for two weekends in autumn 2023.
Of course it will be on a smaller scale next year, but we definitely don't know yet what we're going to play.
We will see.
The interview was conducted by Wolfgang Krzizok.
