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Michael Stallknecht
At the festival of Bavarian State Opera recently there was a lot going on outside on the street. Groups of mostly young people sit on the steps of the Munich National Theater in the evenings, drink and chat, and during the breaks the opera-goers join them. It is an offer from the State Opera, which set up the “Step Bar” for the festival. Maximilian Grützmacher also often drinks a beer here. But the 18-year-old law student can also be found indoors at the performances. At least once a week, he says, he buys a ticket, usually spontaneously. What does he like about opera? “The exclusivity.” How to reach him? “With wanting to come back after I’ve gone.” And yes, with the cheap tickets, which cost only ten euros at the Bavarian State Opera for under 30-year-olds, as in many places. That gives him the opportunity, says Grützmacher, to invite friends over. “The inhibition threshold is low if it doesn’t cost anything.”