In the fairy tale “The Cold Heart” by Wilhelm Hauff, greed for money and social recognition is the leitmotif and the cause of character deformation and human self-destruction: the protagonist, poor coalmunk Peter, exchanges his heart for a cold stone with the evil Dutchman Michel in order to live from now on without feelings, but instead in material wealth. He becomes a ruthless curmudgeon, performs bad deeds before he still finds the way to repentance …
The Bille Marionette Theater in Unterschleißheim has “The Cold Heart” in its repertoire; it is the second piece, alongside “Doctor Faust”, that is shown in the evening program for adults and young people. At the moment, it is generally possible to play in Unterschleißheim, where the children’s performances are traditionally in the foreground, but only under the current Corona conditions and with a greatly reduced number of visitors, “so that the income is correspondingly low with all the commitment,” says Brigitte Knatz, the new chairwoman of the Friends of the Marionette Theater Association, complains.
With her and her colleagues it is of course different from the fairy tale characters in “The Cold Heart” not egotistical greed for money when she asks for financial help. It is about the preservation and the future of the theater, which has been looking for a permanent, appropriate venue for a long time.
In the past year, the new association had already asked several times for support for the Bille puppet theater during the lockdown and was pleased about the receipt of numerous donations. “With a lot of dedication and energy we want to make the theater and the development association better known and support this very special Unterschleißheim attraction,” writes Knatz in a current press release. Specifically, it is also about making it possible to expand the repertoire. It is a great wish of the Bille family to stage the “Magic Flute”.
“In order to be able to present this opera in all its beauty, however, larger financial investments are required,” said Knatz, who, together with their deputy Peter März and cashier Jolanta Wrobel, form the board of the friends’ association. Since this is not yet recognized as a non-profit organization, it has not yet been able to issue any donation receipts. “Nonetheless, we hope that numerous visitors and fans of the theater will want to help maintain the theater and make the Magic Flute a reality.”
In January the puppet theater offers a production of “Doctor Faust” (January 15), which is based on a special original version handed down in the Bille family, and especially for children productions such as “Rumpelstiltskin”, “Cinderella”, ” Puss in Boots “or” The Frog Prince “.
More information about the theater and the association is available at www.marinettentheater-ush.de.