The best quotes

Otto Schenk: “The cruelty of the theater is …”

Otto Schenk during a book presentation in 2012

(Bild: www.viennareport.at/(c) blondel/knipserbande.at)

The "theatrical genius of the century" Otto Schenk is dead. He was not only a celebrated audience favorite, but also an observer and commentator who always had trenchant opinions at the ready. Read the best quotes from the actor and director's life here.

Modesty was one of Schenk's virtues, as he once said when asked about his talent: "I never really believed in my talent, I always wanted more, a more beautiful voice, a more brilliant appearance, in general I wanted to be much more skillful and elegant.""I am an embryonic talent. What I couldn't do as an embryo, I never learned."

"The actor is extroverted, which is where his weaknesses come to light."

(Bild: APA/HERBERT NEUBAUER)

Schenk on the actor: "The actor is extroverted, which is where his weaknesses come to light." "Even as a child, before I knew the theater, life was a kind of play for me. (...) After all, I could only live out my addiction to acting and imitating something in one place: the theater." "I always knew that I wanted to be an actor. But I still don't know exactly what it is."

His thoughts on theater: "The cruel thing about theater is that things have to be made durable and repeatable." "In my opinion, compassion is one of the most important components of theater." "I went to the theater with the ambition of becoming famous, for no other reason. I would have considered it a failure just to be there." 

Otto Schenk at a premiere party in 2009

(Bild: Tischler Andreas/Andreas Tischler)

"In my very first year, I realized that the Josefstadt director couldn't be a desk jockey; I had to be at the forefront. I had to play leading roles, direct and reform the theater from the stage." "In Josefstadt, the actors were chatting because rehearsal hadn't started yet, and then rehearsal started and they kept on chatting."

Not only the theater, but also opera was very important to him, where Schenk made a world career as a director: "In my head there was not only a theater frenzy, but also always an opera frenzy. I have always longed for music - and always had the feeling that I couldn't do anything. A juggler can juggle, a violinist can play the violin, but what can I do? I can talk, everyone else can do that too; I can scream, not many people can, but babies can do that quite well. And singers can sing. And so I snuck into this golden cage through the back door of directing, where the actors can do something wonderful: Singing!"

His secret to success? "I'm only hard-working because I know that if I'm not, it's going to fall horribly on my head." "You can't believe you're as good as you think you are." "I'm not looking for audience reactions, but I'm pleasantly surprised by them. I know that a silence means something, and I know that a laugh means something." "I'm surprised by any kind of success. I was already surprised that my wife liked me."

Schenk has never had any problems with getting older: "I always wanted to grow old - that has come a long way." "The first time I felt old was when I didn't like the taste of lollipops as a child." "How do you get that old? I ate nothing but cancer-promoting things for years." "Age presents you with tasks that you're not trained for." "I see old age as a regression to childhood." "There's no stage presence at all anymore. If you can no longer walk, you can't play theater." 

"It's very nice to be there, and it's a great mercy that you've been allowed to survive so much. During the war, you rejoiced every evening that you were still alive, and every letter that came that someone else was still alive."

In the big "Krone" interview with Conny Bischofberger on his 90th birthday in 2020, some questions also revolved around the topic of dying. Is he afraid of death? No, the older I get, the more familiar I actually become with it. That's not why I prefer him, I can't say that. But I don't mind that he's there in the room with me, the coronavirus under his arm. "The terrible thing is not your own death, but the departure of people you love." What should you say about him? "Whatever you want. I don't really care."