Dramatic performances on stage - Rehearsals commence for the Nibelungen Festival at The Diplomat.
Before the Nibelungen-Festspiele's official opening in Worms, the actors' rehearsals for the new play "The Diplomat" commenced with a focus on current world affairs. Starring actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer from "Tatort Bremen", the cast convened on Tuesday for text analysis. They all found seats in a large square formation at the event center's tables.
According to artistic director Thomas Laue, the staging would be "vibrant and directly impacting the heart" of the Nibelung saga. The performance, directed by Intendant Nico Hofmann, is scheduled for July 12th. The long-running festivals, which once operated under Swiss director Roger Vontobel, continue until July 28th over 15 days.
Intriguing Plot
The protagonist of "The Diplomat" is the disenchanted hero Dietrich von Bern, who serves as a mediator between hostile parties. He is sent to the Burgundians to persuade the Hun king Etzel to marry Kriemhild while attempting to prevent a bloody war that everyone supposedly wants to avoid. This complex scenario by authors Feridun Zaimoglu and Günter Senkel depicts Dietrich being entangled in both his personal past and the impending escalation. Hofmann recently revealed that the play is "provoking and highlights how diplomacy fails."
During the start of rehearsals, the scene with Siegfried's corpse laid out before Worms Cathedral was read. His blood is seen spilling out. Bauer, playing the role of Kriemhild, quoted, "The oak doesn't fall from one strike, it falls from many." Among the seasoned stage members of the ensemble were Franz Pätzold ("Work without Author") as Dietrich von Bern and Thomas Loibl ("Toni Erdmann") as Hagen. Laue described it as a "crazy mix". Vontobel, the regisseur, felt connections between the play and large Hollywood franchises like "Star Wars" or Marvel comics. "Dietrich von Bern encounters a world that doesn't want or can't follow him," Vontobel explained.
The Nibelungenlied, a beloved German legend, is known for its violence and spirals into hatred. Does this favored epic story have to conclude in such a way? The festivals themselves wonder this question this year. Since 2002, annual performances of Siegfried and his killer Hagen in Germany's oldest city have been a tradition, with each presentation addressing current issues.
Historic Setting
Last year, approximately 21,000 people attended the festivals, achieving a 90% occupancy rate. Up to 1400 spectators could fit on the tribune in front of the cathedral each night. Ticket prices ranged from 29 to 139 euros, based on performances. The festival's location holds historical significance as a critical scene in the saga, involving the "queens' quarrel", occurs on the north side of the cathedral.
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- The actress Jasna Fritzi Bauer, known for her role in "Tatort Bremen," hails from Germany.
- The rehearsals for the Nibelungen Festspiele took place in a theater located in Hagen.
- The Festival is held annually in the city of Worms, which is situated in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
- Nico Hofmann, the director of the play, was originally from Bremen before he moved to work at The Diplomat's theater in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Source: www.stern.de
