Landsberg in the cinema: »The Arturo Project«

Created: 08/27/2022, 18:00

By: Susanne Greiner

The Wasserburg Theater, the Stelzer and the Circus Boldini delighted their audiences in the circus tent on the Waitzinger Wiese in Landsberg in 2019.

Robert Fischer is now presenting his documentary “The Arturo Project” in cinemas.

© FKN

Landsberg – First Scene: A blue and white sky, tracking shot down, blue and white becomes the yellow and blue of the circus tent.

The place: the Waitzinger Wiese.

In Brecht Year 2019, the Wasserburg Theater, the Stelzer and the Boldini Family Circus showed Brecht’s “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui” there.

An ambitious project, a symbiosis of drama, music and artistry - with a political statement.

The project has now been immortalized in a film that celebrated its world premiere at the weekend's Five Lakes Festival: "The Arturo Project".

The result is a collage of interviews and performance excerpts.

There are also scenes that create atmosphere: the actors behind the scenes, putting on their make-up, rehearsing, nervously repeating the text.

The first guests - including three sisters of the Landsberg Dominican Sisters, who stream into the circus tent on the Waitzinger Wiese.

"The Arturo Project" is a film that brings out the work of everyone involved - the Stelzer, the Theater Wasserburg, the Circus Boldini and the musicians - the genesis of the idea and also the importance of the project for those involved.

Tykwer, Hauck, Fischer

Landsberg's Filmforum director, Kurt Tykwer, had the idea for the film.

The producer is Wolfgang Hauck from dieKunstBauStelle.

And the one who took camera, editing, writing and directing under his wing is Robert Fischer, who documented Landsberg's culture back in 2014 with his Hubert von Herkomer-Herkomer film "On Your Own Wings".

Fischer, born in Greven in North Rhine-Westphalia in 1954, made his first film in the 1970s, the first documentary film in 1999. In the state capital, Fischer was present at the Munich Film Festival for 25 years - from where he also turned his attention to Landsberg.

The director of the film "The Arturo Project" Robert Fischer (right) is already known in Landsberg for his Hubert von Herkomer documentary "Auf Eigene Schingen".

Here at its premiere in the Stadttheater 2014. © Eckstein

“The Arturo Project” proceeds chronologically.

The mixture of musical, circus and drama premiered two years before the performances in Landsberg at the Wasserburg Theater – a theater that started out as an amateur theater but has since become Wasserburg's unofficial municipal theatre.

Intendant Uwe Bertram had Brecht in mind with the intention of making “clear political statements”, as Bertram puts it in the film.

He sees Brecht's "Arturo Ui" as "a record of the mechanisms of the emergence of fascism".

And thus as an important statement in the present.

Bertram's first meeting with Circus Boldini is groundbreaking for the crossover project - Bertram speaks of a "shock love".

The Wasserburg theater director had already incorporated circus elements into two earlier productions – “Alice” and “The Black Rider”.

Finally, Bertram got the stilts on board: "I've always wanted to do something with the stilts" - which is why Hauck and Peter Pruchniewitz, who taught the Wasserburg showmen how to play on stilts, also have their say in Fischer's film.

Of course, the director also dedicates himself to the 'theater band': a 'dream band' that musical director Georg Karger had already put together for 'The Black Rider': 'Theater is fodder for the composer's curiosity'.

As one of these curious people, Pit Holzapfel is also part of the party.

Off to Landsberg

We continue to the Wasserburg premiere.

Also with the two camels, who couldn't be there at the premiere in Landsberg because the transporter broke down - which is why Arturo's henchman Roma takes over their 'role' with an additional humorous effect.

After Wasserburg, the theater wants to play in Munich, in Augsburg or Dachau.

"But Landsberg is just as steeped in history," says Hauck - and thus brings the production to the Waitzinger Wiese.

Before the revival on stilts after a year break, the Schausoleier had respect.

Ultimately, however, stilting is like riding a bicycle: you don't forget it.

Of course, the "Arturo Project" documents the problems of this experimental drama production: A member of the ensemble suffers from acrophobia - and then on stilts?

An actor has to fill in because of the original cast's illness.

And he has a great deal of trouble before the task – which is why he is allowed to play on 'painter's stilts' with two legs.

But not only these problems in the piece are addressed.

Director Fischer also explains the 'great otherness', the differences between the genres of drama and circus, in words and pictures.

A woman from the Frank circus family tells how strange it is for her at the beginning to appear serious or sad instead of the smile that is usually required.

And circus manager Philipp Frank was rather skeptical at the beginning of the crossover project: "I didn't expect

that it will be so successful” he takes stock in the film.

"And I didn't expect to like it that much personally, either."

The performances in Landsberg inspired.

Is there a sequel?

Hauck speaks of a "further revival" in the film.

Maybe they'll play again next year, hopes one artist.

Bertram is also optimistic: "The project is not yet buried.

We'll see.” Anyway, the project is now at least immortalized on film.

Maybe the restart will work.

Maybe even camels.