Once upon a time there was the evil knight Ademar von Hohenfels who vied with Prince Wilhelm in a spectacular tournament for the throne and the favor of the princess. In real life, i.e. outside the show stage, there is no evil knight Ademar, but only Stefan Kaiser from Gütersloh, who embodies him and lives as a showman in the sixth generation for the stage.
Stefan Kaiser was born into showmanship. As a child and teenager he took part in family shows, sometimes as a lasso-wielding cowboy, sometimes as a chariot driver, always on or behind horses. Today he has his own show, which he co-hosts with his brother, Jeffrey Kaiser. The showman is on tour from March to October and performs “The Black Coronation” with his team of twelve and ten horses. A look at the show concept gives an idea of how versatile the skills of a showman like Stefan Kaiser must be. Whether skill exercises with throwing stars, lances and swords or duels in jousting, Stefan Kaiser has to master all of this at a gallop. “A broken leg like that is quite normal,” says Kaiser about his occupational hazard. So far, however, nobody has been injured so badly that they can no longer get on a horse, according to Kaiser.
The seven-year-old daughter is already developing her own style
Tour life has been part of Stefan Kaiser’s everyday life since early childhood. With growing up, however, the tasks of a showman also change and new responsibilities are added. Kaiser is now not only active on stage, but is also responsible for organizing the venues, setting up and dismantling, training the horses and marketing. Advertising the events is particularly exhausting for him, but Stefan Kaiser says about his job: “I wouldn’t want to trade”.
The techniques it takes to embody a knight or cowboy have been and are passed down from generation to generation in the showman family. Stefan Kaiser proudly tells how his daughter, 7, is already developing her own style. The seventh generation is already in the starting blocks. In addition to the right technique, physical fitness is also important, says Kaiser. However, training with the horses and setting up and dismantling the grandstand is sufficient: “I don’t have to go to the gym again.”
Anyone who wants to find out whether Ademar von Hohenfels aka Stefan Kaiser will win the tournament for the Tron can do so from August 19th to 28th on Forstenrieder Straße in Neuried. The performances of “The Black Coronation” are performed there on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. and 7.30 p.m., on Sundays from 2 p.m. and on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4 p.m.