The effort was enormous – the artistic result remarkable: A famous literary source transformed into two hours of great entertainment, presented on an imposing stage in the middle of the water, which would suit many a metropolis. The “Wirtshaus im Eberwald” knew how to convince all around. And so the head of the theater association, Franz Stetter, is very satisfied with the outcome of what is now the 35th edition of the Markt Schwaben “Weiherspiele”: Everything went very well.
Of course, this balance sheet has to start with a very important factor for open-air performances: “In 25 years I have never experienced such perfect weather. It’s great luck! Normally you have to worry three or four times that you won’t be able to play, this time only one event was cancelled “, says the chairman of the club. And the ticket holders of this one evening could be distributed to other dates.
Franz Stetter, chairman of the theater association Markt Schwaben.
(Photo: private)
The state of health of the actors is also very important, including more than a dozen with speaking roles, because the club could not have resorted to an understudy. But the people of Markt Schwaben were also lucky this year: None of the 30 or so members of the ensemble dropped out, says Stetter – and that, although this time, to his great delight, “veterans” like Anna Seiler, “the oldest at 84” , and Hermann Bogenrieder, who rejoined the stage after a long break, belonged to the ensemble.
And finally, the audience has received a lot of encouragement, some of which have been coming to the demonstrations at the pond for decades and now also like to use the small in-house beer garden, says Stetter.
The season brings 5200 spectators – and unfortunately no profit
After dismantling and final accounting, it is now also clear that the season ended “at par”, i.e. no profits were made, but no losses either – which Stetter is happy about at first. But it would have been much more financially redeemable if the 580 seats available for each of the 15 performances had been fully used. Instead of the maximum 8700, however, this summer there were only around 5200 spectators – the visitors to the children’s concert from shooting star included.
Franz Stetter (right) as Baron von Sperling along with Franz Hermannsgabner as Heinrich, Count von Keilerberg.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
“I would have preferred it if we had recorded a bit more”, admits Stetter, not to make a big profit, “but only to keep us going, because we always need something for the theater in Burgerfeld”. As nice as it is to have your own house, the club has to finance it itself. “There is a safety inspection every three years, after which you always have to do something new.” Not to mention the expected high energy costs in autumn and winter. In addition, the costs for the pond games of the following year always have to be pre-financed before the entrance fees even come in.
“Organizing the pond games is like running a small company”
Nevertheless, according to Stetter, there were voices that the tickets for the “Eberwald” were quite expensive at 31 euros. “People don’t understand that because they probably compare us to the theater group that plays in the parish hall in their town and only charges ten euros.” It is safe to assume that the effort in Markt Schwaben is disproportionately higher, even if the participants are equally enthusiastic. Because the pond games are not only realized with a lot of artistic passion, but also involve considerable organizational and bureaucratic requirements. “Organizing the Weiherspiele is like running a small company,” says Stetter, who used to run an interior design business in Munich.
The stage for “Das Wirthaus im Eberwald” is 40 meters long.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
As early as November, the board of directors selects the respective piece, then a separate adaptation is written for the pond, followed by stage planning, and rehearsals begin in April. In the case of “Wirtshaus im Eberwald”, Ferdinand Maurer was responsible for the script, direction and soundtrack and also took on a role.
The stage construction is 40 meters long and eight meters high, onto which the fabric-covered partitions, painted by the artist Uwe Wilfert from Friedrichshafen, are screwed. “We do a lot of our own work, but you need trucks and equipment to set up such a large stage, and we can’t do it ourselves,” explains Stetter. However, this costs – which would bring you back to the money. You have “two super companies that support us tremendously and at very reasonable prices”, but of course you have to finance these costs somehow.
There is a lot to do in advance: Franz Stetter (left) and backdrop painter Uwe Wilfert.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
But in order to be allowed to play on the pond at all, the club needs permission from the district office to set up the stage. “It’s similar to a planning application for the house. You submit a 1:100 plan that has to be signed by all the neighbors,” explains Stetter. There is also a contract with the municipality, which regulates, among other things, the number of security guards and paramedics.
Organizing the rest of the staff is also complicated. Because filling the roles adequately – “Ferdinand always does that great, he has a really good feeling for who can play what” – is by no means everything. You need additional supporters for every performance. And according to Stetter, this is where a previously little noticed “side effect” of Corona becomes apparent: “You used to have a lot more helpers, also at the pond games. Now you have to speak to them three times. And why? The whole club structures are falling apart. You just don’t meet more. No Christmas party, no AGM, nothing.”
At the beginning of March 2020 there were still rehearsals for the play “Der kleine Wassermann”, the performance fell victim to the pandemic.
(Photo: Christian Endt)
In this way, the up-and-coming generation was also partially lost to the actually flourishing theater association. Many of them haven’t met for two years, says Stetter, “an unbelievably long time for children and young people. They then reorient themselves and are no longer interested.” Despite these challenges, director Christa Hermannsgabner will now try for a third time to bring “Little Aquarius” to the stage.
And there are already some nice things in sight for autumn, says Stetter. Cabaret artist Christian Springer is coming to the Theater am Burgerfeld on September 17, and on October 29 there will be a “Notte italiana” with Maurizio Cecchin, “formerly known as the star of the Weiherlieder”. It has come full circle.
The pond games are also an economic factor for the town
For the coming year, boss Stetter hopes that it will be easier – because then there may be no more Corona events that people go to instead of the pond games. And because, hopefully, nobody has to be so afraid of getting infected anymore.
What he would wish for, in addition to the support of the mayor and the municipality: more support from companies. After all, one is also of economic importance for Markt Schwaben because of all the people who are attracted to the pond games. “But the big companies only support top-class sport or top-class culture. We, on the other hand, have to make sure that we can manage ourselves,” complains Stetter.
But if the chairman has his way, the Theaterverein Markt Schwaben will continue to pursue its passion as confidently and professionally as before – and will continue to inspire the audience with impressive pond plays next year.