A ghost appears with dramatic gestures and a threatening voice. He floats across the stage like mephisto himself. The ghost tells the town hall officials ominous news, for dark clouds are gathering over ebensfeld… But more of the content should not be revealed, in order not to take away the suspense from the new piece of the theater group.
Norbert dietz is the one who haunts the office as a spooky figure. This evening, the amateur actors are rehearsing the new play for the second time. But why do they learn texts by heart and rehearse many evenings instead of sitting comfortably at home in front of the television?? Norbert dietz: "because we want to entertain the people – and because we want to bring something culturally ruberbringen."
And what do the other amateur actors who rehearse under the direction of jan burdinski say?? Gaby lurtz, who has been with the acting troupe since the beginning, sums it up: "i find it fascinating that you can be someone on stage who you’re not otherwise. I have more courage on stage than in normal life."
"I love to play theater", says gaby wunder. She takes great pleasure in this hobby because it is a nice amateur drama group that makes rehearsals and performances a lot of fun. She really enjoyed playing the role of the cleaning lady in the play.
Christine scheer explains that she already enjoyed slipping into other roles when she was at school: "i always found the challenge of coming out of my shell super." And she adds: "playing the theater perfects self-confidence."
Udo rittmaier jokes that he has been on stage a bit more often – as a singer, because he used to sing with the staffelstein gospel choir "good news" with. Playing theater, however, is a little different, because "it has a certain thrill".
Karin rittmaier hides her light under a bushel by saying that she is "just the prompter". And yet, like every woman who has ever stood in the limelight, this is one of the most important roles of all. "I enjoy being there and helping", karin rittmaier adds. She sometimes has to grin, she admits, when she looks at the script and notices that an actor is not sure of the lines, omits something or improvises with his own words.
Wolfgang stark already played in the amateur theater in trieb, and in ebensfeld he enjoys jumping in and "acting as a 15-year-old. Emergency responder" being there.
Karin burkheiser joined the choir only this year. She liked to act in improv theater and likes to come out of her shell on stage. In improv theater, she says with a laugh, she has played U.S. Secretary of state madelaine albright.
Martin helterlein grins and says: "this is pure idealism, what we are doing here." He liked it so much in the theater group that he was happy to stay with it. He prefers to study his texts while walking, because walking is the best way to learn.
Tobias engel, who has been performing as a wind musician with the ebensfeld music society for many years, was asked by a friend if he would like to take part in the theater play. "I’m a bit of a technophile, he adds, that’s why he’s mainly involved in building the stage. He naturally also plays a civil servant role in the comodia.
Performance dates and advance ticket sales
Dates: thursday, 3. October, saturday, 5. October, friday, 11. October, and saturday, 12. October, 19.30 o’clock and sunday, 6. October, and sunday, 13. October, in each case at 17 o’clock in the hall of the new fire-brigade house, rinnigstrabe 2, in ebensfeld.
Advance booking: tickets are available for seven euros at the post agency hofmann, hauptstrabe 43, and at the town hall ebensfeld at H. Dietz. If there are any remaining tickets, they can be purchased for nine euros at the box office.
Performers: norbert dietz, tobias engel, cornelia lurtz, gaby wunder, beate lamm, karin burkheiser, udo rittmaier, martin helterlein, annette klinke, wolfgang stark and christiane scheer. Karin rittmaier supports the theater group as a prompter, stefan klinke as a stage builder.
Jan burdinski participates as impresario and good spirit
"With jan burdinski it’s especially fun", is the unanimous statement of the ebensfeld amateur actors. The trained mime and theater scholar has been the director of the "frankischer theatersommer" since 1994, which in just a few years became the "landesbuhne oberfranken evolved. Burdinski stepped in at short notice for the ebensfeld theater group after the actual director fell ill.
"I was invited to work a bit on the play", says jan burdinski. He gladly took over the direction and made some dramaturgical suggestions for the performance of the play, because "less is more". What is left is still a full evening play. The theatrical pedagogy is one of the tasks of the summer theater, he added. "It’s incredibly community-building when a community has good amateur actors", he thinks, because it "brings a lot to the life of this community – in communication, team spirit and fun."
And then the short interview is already over, because the impresario and his troupe of actors want to get started. The women and men have already put on their respective costumes, because they can feel much better in their roles than in everyday clothes.