Damage caused by storms

Weather as a risk factor for Styrian summer theater

A critical look at the sky: the actors of TZ Deutschlandsberg (archive)

(Bild: TZ Deutschlandsberg)

Summer theater will once again be performed from Stainach to Wies this year. On June 21, the Theater im Bauernhof in St. Josef opens its series of premieres. But the weather is becoming an ever greater challenge. In Deutschfeistritz, it is nothing short of a miracle that plays can be performed at all just a few weeks after the devastating floods.

The summer theater season kicks off in Styria next weekend. Across the country, professionals and amateurs will once again take to the stage and expose themselves not only to the judgment of the audience, but also to the weather. "The weather is simply a risk you have to live with at open-air events," says Gerd Wilfing from Theaterzentrum Deutschlandsberg, which has been touring Western Styria in the summer with a mobile theater wagon for years.

Mud and water instead of stagecraft
Nature is simply an unreliable stage partner. The Theater Sensenwerk in Deutschfeistritz recently had to make this bitter experience when it fell victim to the floods a month before its big premiere: "We are used to putting a lot of heart and soul and voluntary work into our theater productions. But the last few days have demanded a lot from us," says Hannes Köck. As far as the weather is concerned, they are actually on the safe side with their own performance space and are playing indoors, but nobody is immune to massive flooding.

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"We actually had a concert in the house on the evening of June 8 and the musicians were already on stage for the sound check when the masses of water came," Köck recalls of the Saturday. Within a very short space of time, the water was almost a meter high and masses of mud pushed their way through the building. "From then on, we were in a state of emergency," says Köck.

Actors as cleaning devils
But theater people are optimists and giving up was not an option: "Our entire team and countless volunteers were already on site on Sunday and started the clean-up work together with the fire department and workers from the municipality. They did a great job," he says, thanking everyone. "Some people said: You'll never manage it. But if nothing else extraordinary happens, our premiere will take place on July 5." Incidentally, the program includes "Lady & Schneider", a relatively unknown play by Johann Nestroy.

The first premieres

• Theater im Bauernhof (St. Josef): "Liaba Liagn als Fliagn" by Hans Gnant (21 June to 27 July)
• Schlossspiele Reinthal (Hönigtal): "Frauen- volksversammlung" by Aristophanes (June 22 to July 20)
• Burghofspiele Voitsberg: "Pension Schöller" by Wilhelm Jacoby and Carl Laufs (June 28 to July 12)
• Sinabelkirchen Pond Festival: Various plays (from July 2 to July 21)
• Grazer Straßentheater (courtyard of the Styrian Provincial Archives): "Wer Sex mit Eifer sucht" by Marc Camoletti (July 3 to 28)
• Brandluckner Huabntheater: "The Three Court Saints" by Max Neal and Max Ferner (July 3 to August 16)
• Kürbis Wies (Schlosstenne Burgstall): "Im weißen Rössl" freely adapted from the comedy by Blumenthal and Kadelburg (July 4 to 21)
• Theater Frohnleiten: "To be or not to be" by Nick Whitby (July 10 to July 29)
• Further premieres will follow throughout the country over the course of the summer.

As the Sensenwerk is an indoor venue, no cancellations are to be expected due to the summer storms. The situation is different for all those playing outdoors. "On average, we have to cancel one or two of our total of eight to ten dates due to the weather," says Gerd Wilfing. Nevertheless, there are no indoor alternatives for this year's "Hinrichtung", a play by Carl Merz and Helmut Qualtinger, which will be performed from July 5: "People come because they want an outdoor experience, and when the weather is nice, there's nothing better than performing in front of beautiful nature."