As of: April 4, 2024, 6:07 a.m
By: Johannes Thoma
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Regular guest: Gerhard Polt (here performing at Klosterhof Bernried) is also at the 4th Humor Festival. © Rudder
Munich, Stegen and Schliersee: This year the humor festival is spread across several venues. Bernried is also there again – with two humor courses.
Bernried/Munich –
Funding from Claudia Roth, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, is the reason why the fourth event is no longer called the “Bernried Humor Festival” but rather the “Munich and Surroundings” Humor Festival. The grant of 100,000 euros was tied to the condition that the event would be held at several locations, explains Reinhard Wittmann, chairman of the “Forum Humor and Comic Art” association. The club is the organizer.
“No, we haven’t become unfaithful to Bernried, we’ve just become bigger,” says Wittmann. “The art now comes to the artists.” This year, Bernried is represented with two humor courses: from June 28th, between the Dampfersteg and the museum, 25 cartoonists will show what comes to mind on the topic of “summer, sun, sunburn”. Anyone who goes from the parking lot to the Buchheim Museum will only encounter Karl Valentin on this humor course, so to speak, to get them in the mood: the exhibition “Karl Valentin and Music” will be dedicated to the artist in the museum from August 31st.
Kicks off on Monday, April 8th
The festival begins next Monday, April 8th: A series of events in the Salon Luitpold in Munich (Brienner Street) is dedicated to the topic of “Humor and Democracy”. Gerhard Polt, the inspiration of the initiative and board member of the association, will talk to Reinhard Wittmann about the importance of humor in extreme social situations: Other discussion partners are Polt's cabaret colleagues Maxi Schafroth (May 14th) as well as Bruno Jonas and Ursula Münch, the director of the Academy for Political education in Tutzing (June 11th).
Wittmann is particularly looking forward to the humor festival in Stegen with the atmospheric backdrop on Lake Ammersee and the “Old Brewery” as a venue for exhibitions and readings, including with Gerhard Polt and Gisela Schneeberger. The humor course there has the same theme as in Bernried and will open on May 11th. There are other humor courses at Schliersee and around Blutenburg Castle in Munich. The latter is especially for children.
Waiting for the concept in Bernried
The decision to set up the festival more broadly and focus on Munich has nothing to do with the still unresolved question of whether a building for humor will be built in Munich or Bernried, said Wittmann. The club and the community of Bernried are currently waiting for an operating concept for the location at the town hall. It should be presented in a few days.
Wittmann is pleased about the funding from Berlin. “This is confirmation of our work.” However, he is concerned with the question, “What will happen next year?” The funding is expected to only be for one year. After that you will probably have to start looking for private supporters.