Staging in the park

This is what Shakespeare looks like on nature’s stage

The "Krone" visited the theater rehearsals in the castle park. Here, the actors were not yet rehearsing in their final costumes.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

From Friday, the Landestheater starts a new edition of Shakespeare in the Park. This time it will be mystical: fairies and ghosts populate Leopoldskron Castle Park.

"Playing outside simply gives a completely different impetus. You work with what's around you. For example, with tree roots, the sounds of the animals and the audience, who are much closer to us than usual," says actress Leontine Dick. She is part of the Landestheater ensemble, which will be performing excerpts from Shakespeare's works in the park at Schloss Leopoldskron from Friday.

Actress Leontine Dick(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

This is the eleventh year that the actors have made nature their stage. This season, the open-air stage is full of mystery: fairies and ghosts populate the park and tell beautifully eerie stories from Shakespeare's plays. And since fairies are known to be able to fly, aerial acrobatics are also an integral part of the theater evening. Between the lush green leaves of the old trees, Leontine Dick swings around without any fear of heights.

The two actors Marco Dott and Leontine Dick(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

"Although we have been performing in the park at Schloss Leopoldskron for many years, we are always discovering new stages and opportunities here in nature. There are also places where we have never performed before," says Landestheater director Carl Philip von Maldeghem, who is staging Shakespeare in the park.

The opportunity to have a picnic one hour before the start of the performance remains the same this year. Baskets can be reserved in advance. Afterwards, the tour continues station by station, scene by scene, through the castle's extensive park. The cultural walk takes around two hours. Only one thing remains to be seen: What will the weather be like? "We've noticed that in summer, thunderstorms usually roll in at 8 pm - if there are any. So we've brought the start of the event forward to 6 pm. That means we're finished by 8 p.m. and the rain can come at any time," says von Maldeghem calmly.