He found his own topics in the Darmstadt game plan: Erwin Aljukic, here in the studio of artist Vera Röhm. Photo: Guido Schiek
If a fairy godmother asked Erwin Aljukic for a wish, the Darmstadt State Theater would now be in Munich. The actor was engaged in Darmstadt for two years, had gotten to know the value of an acting ensemble after thirteen years of television work (“Marienhof”), leaves nothing to the artistic director Karsten Wiegand and the acting director Oliver Brunner. The way in which they integrate colleagues with disabilities is unique. For Aljukic, who as a result of the glass bone disease has a small and unevenly grown body, the state theater is a reference model against which other stages with inclusive standards have to be measured.
Only – it is in Darmstadt. And the actor failed to really take root in this city. Certainly also because he almost always had to travel. A suitable apartment could not be found. It should have been barrier-free and suitable for a cat, so the theater had no support. Aljukic commuted from Wiesbaden, came with rehearsals and presentations for a fortnight. Most recently, he also came from his Munich apartment, which he had never given up on. A four-hour drive, a bite to eat in the canteen, rest on stage in “King Oedipus”, and return at night via the motorway: these are exertions that you cannot do to yourself in the long run.
In the meantime, Aljukic stayed with a member of the government. It didn’t help to become more familiar with the city. Darmstadt has nice corners, but you won’t find them on the way from Kranichstein to the State Theater. It is only now that he is moving to the Munich Kammerspiele that he is getting to know the city from a new angle. Rita Latocha shows him the important points, a special friendship has grown with her, and it is important to Aljukic that she is also involved in the conversation. Latocha is connected to the cultural life of Darmstadt in a variety of ways; saving the Block Beuys for the State Museum was a matter close to her heart, she worked at the State Theater and for Mathildenhöhe, meanwhile in the studio of the sculptor Vera Röhm, which she chose for the interview. For a few years now she has been paralyzed on one side as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage. And she was deeply moved by Aljukic’s appearance in Olivier Messiaen’s Franziskus opera, attended almost all performances, wrote letters at the gate, wanted to meet the actor. Luckily he responded to this: a mutually trusting relationship grew in which both learned from each other. As a television actor, Aljukic experienced that people were happy when they recognized him on the street. But here the quality of his work was seen, and that helped him to open up.
A risky appearance
The role in “Saint Françoise d’Assise” was short but memorable. Even the orchestra was amazed when Aljukic came on stage before the first sound in the dress rehearsal. Director Wiegand had inserted the performance very spontaneously. The actor touches the iron curtain, he listens, for a moment the great idea of the work that lies behind this wall becomes tangible. A risky appearance by the way, because the path is narrow, there is no way to hold on, and it took considerable concentration to avoid falling.
Aljukic mastered the situation with that elegant, often dance-like body control that he gave to many of his characters. For him the very first role was the most important, in the ensemble of “Moby Dick” he also learned the physical trust that can develop in interaction. In one scene, the actor overcame the fear of dropping. And in other roles, too, he not only encountered literary figures, but also his own topics and challenges. And he found an ensemble in which he could get involved. “I was never committed,” he says.
INCLUDING ENSEMBLE
After Jana Zöll and Samuel Koch leaves with Erwin Aljukic the last actor with impairments the State Theater Darmstadt. Acting director Oliver Brunner, however, sticks to the idea of an inclusive ensemble.
It will “definitely continue,” he said when asked by the newspaper, “normalcy is the best way to include”. He was talking to artists, for the coming season he can rather imagine guest commitments “so that we have a chance to get to know each other at work”.
Darmstadt, as a pioneer with an inclusive, professional acting ensemble, “was able to make a big difference and raised questions at many cultural institutions,” said Brunner. (job)
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That is why it is also an emotional farewell to Darmstadt, which he leaves with a feeling of gratitude. Even though his heart beats every time he comes home to Munich, the actor looks back on “two good and enriching years,” he says, and adds after a short pause: “But the price was high.”
Sometimes he had the impression that the Darmstadt audience didn’t really appreciate his great theater. His Munich Circle of Friends didn’t notice what great performances he had in Darmstadt anyway. Things are changing now, and the current piece developments that are part of the Kammerspiele style offer less classic roles than the challenge of performative action. Aljukic will look very closely at whether the self-evident handling of disabilities corresponds to the Darmstadt model. “Who knows,” he says, “maybe a role back there awaits me.”
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