With a super-eight camera in hand, joy in their hearts and talent in their blood, the passion of 11 Dringenbergers for acting began in 1981.
First real classics were filmed in their own versions, such as “The Three Musketeers” and “Dr. Mabuse ”- of course directly at local filming locations such as the castle or the scoop mill. Fun was the main focus of these activities and the results were proudly presented in the living room.
Almost at the same time as their own film ambitions, the actors also watched theater plays on television, which aroused their longing to perform in front of an audience. The idea of presenting a play on a big stage here in the small town of Dringenberg made the hearts of the young people beat faster, but their suggestions for implementation were mostly ridiculed by the adults.
“Santa Claus Season”
“From today’s perspective of history, that was rather strange, because theater performances in Dringenberg had actually always been held on the castle grounds or as indoor theater between the 1920s and 1960s. Fortunately, in Heinz Sablotny, today’s honorary chairman of the association, there was still an adult who stood up for the young people and selected the first piece with them, ”says Kathrin Mikus, Burgtheater press attendant, looking back. It was about the Schwank of the writer Günter Falk with the title “Dreimal Verlobt”, and as soon as reading the introduction it was clear to all those involved that the acting was now unstoppable. It says: “This game is intended for an evening when you want to laugh once, nothing but laugh!”
With the aim of laughing together, the first “Christmas house man’s time” began, as it is still lovingly called in the association today. Textbooks were rolled over and learned by heart, scenes were rehearsed, stage elements and an old curtain reappeared in the attic of the Hausmann restaurant, so that on December 20, 1981 the “Dringenberg Youth Theater” had its first performance.
The piece ended with the words “Det jing janz excellent” and received great applause and praise from the audience. Kathrin Mikus: “This was enough incentive to keep going, because all the members now had a real theatrical experience. From this point on, acting again had a firm place in Dringenberg’s cultural life. ”
The youth stage becomes the Burgtheater
In 1987 the “Jugendbühne Dringenberg” was renamed and the association “Burgtheater Dringenberg” was founded. All work in front of and behind the stage, starting with the selection of the pieces in September up to the stage design in December, is planned and implemented jointly by association members.
“Of course, essential work such as setting up the stage and technology go hand in hand and with the support of many helpers. This is just as much a part of club life as the subsequent sitting together and chatting on the boards that mean the world, ”reports the press attendant.
Traditionally, the roles are distributed on November 1st. The premiere takes place just eight weeks later. Kathrin Mikus: “This short rehearsal phase is certainly accompanied by a certain theatrical stress that everyone involved is happy to take on for a temporary family and a second home ‘at Hausmanns’.”
The Burgtheater has been continuously active beyond the Christmas season. Since 1986, a total of ten fairy tales or children’s theater pieces such as “Frau Holle”, “The Swineherd” or “The Little Witch” have been performed at irregular intervals for young viewers. Most recently, in 2018, the youngsters impressed the audience with the play “Bill Bo and his gang”.
In addition, the theater association presented itself in 1985, 1995, 2000 and 2005 as part of the traditional castle festival with the performance of self-written historical plays about the history of Dringenberg.
Other highlights of the club’s life over the past 40 years were the planning and organization of the historic sports festival for the 700th anniversary of the city of Bad Driburg (1990) and the performance of a self-written stage version of the Annette von Droste-Hülshoff novella “Die Judenbuche” (1998).
Proven creativity
In addition, the association also showed its creativity in 2002 with the construction and operation of a ghost train in the large vaulted cellar of Dringenberg Castle and in 2006 with a somewhat different traveling theater that took place in its own village.
The association has been taking part in the annual carnival parades since 1990.
In the meantime, the Burgtheater Dringenberg has 85 members who are happy to work during the Christmas House season and beyond, so that the association can look back on a total of 73 staged plays. Even today, many of the founding members of the time are still firmly rooted in club life and pass on not only their experiences, but also their passion and joy in acting to the new young actors.
After the curtain had to remain closed in winter 2020 due to corona, the Burgtheater was now full of expectations and anticipation in the starting blocks for the new season. 13 actors were ready to play, the play selected and the first reading rehearsals had already taken place at the beginning of November and caused a lot of laughs.
Due to the development of the corona pandemic, the associated requirements for a theater event and, above all, the increasing feeling of the actors themselves feeling uncomfortable playing in a small room with many people, it was decided to repeatedly cancel the season.
Season canceled
“Playing theater should be unconditional and bring joy, because that is what it was from the beginning and what it will always be for us at the Burgtheater: ‘This play is intended for an evening when you want to laugh once, nothing but laugh . ‘”, Explains Kathrin Mikus.
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