Theater Krefeld in action for flood victims
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The manger of hope
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The heart of the crib is the stable scene. The figures from the Ore Mountains are 80 centimeters high.
Photo: Ansgar Weigner
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Krefeld A large church nativity scene for the Assumption of St. Mary in Stolberg is created in the workshops of the theater. During the great flood, the church was devastated and the crib structure was destroyed. An important act of solidarity.
The images will stay in your head for a long time. When Ansgar Weigner stepped into the Stolberg Church of St. Mary’s Assumption for the first time after the great flood in summer, he was shocked. “It was like being on the North Sea coast. The church was completely flooded. All the benches were raised and cornered, ”he says. The church is on Salmstrasse, Stolberg’s main shopping street, the Vichtbach flows just a few meters further.
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It was obvious that no more mass would be celebrated here for a long time. But the effects only gradually came to light. The crib was also completely destroyed. A low blow: “A crib is something very emotional, even for non-believers and people who do not want to have anything to do with the institution. Lots of families come, especially at Christmas time. And this nativity scene is something special. ”30 square meters in size and with hand-carved solid wood figures from the Ore Mountains, each around 80 centimeters high. The director’s solidarity therefore touched the director: “The Theater Krefeld Mönchengladbach spontaneously offered its help,” reports Weigner. On Sunday of the Dead, the choir director Maria Benyumova and part of the opera choir traveled to Stolberg to organize a memorial service for the victims of the flood and corona with the passionate organist Weigner. Now the offer came from the Lower Rhine to rebuild the crib.
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His last job before retirement: Martin Dreyer in the theater workshop with the crib model. The original will be 2.20 meters high.
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Photo: Lammertz, Thomas (lamm)
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“A theater workshop is necessary for such a task,” says Weigner, who has staged several operas at the United Stages such as “Die Liebe zu den Drei Orangen” and “Rusalka”. Because the crib has to look solid, but it has to be light and can be dismantled into parts for transport and storage. It is almost 17 meters wide and 2.20 meters high. 15 figures represent the approximately one square meter large stable scene, ox, donkey and a camel. It is very fortunate that the figures were stored in the tower and thus protected from the floods. The structure, which was kept at ground level, was completely destroyed by the water. “The nativity scene has been part of the church for at least 40 years since I can remember.” The figures have suffered over time, fingers have broken off, feet damaged, robes have become dull. An expert in Eschweiler will restore them. “If you were to buy them today, they would be worth around 40,000 euros,” Weigner estimates. His claim: “It should be the most beautiful and largest crib in the entire diocese and a highlight of the crib hiking route.”
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The figures are built into the model as photographs. The entire width of the original is almost 17 meters.
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Photo: Ansgar Weigner
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Set designer Robert Schrag, with whom Weigner often works, made the design. “The relationship to Stolberg is important to us,” says Weigner. Therefore there will be a real watercourse again, the turrets of the neighboring churches and also the slate should be found again – and the Galmeiveilchen. This rare type of violet only grows on heavy metallic soils in the vicinity of Aachen – such as the former copper master town of Stolberg.
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The model is in the theater workshops in Fischeln. The crib figures are photographed and used two-dimensionally, but true to scale. It is the first nativity scene to be created here. A first. “It’s nice to create something that will last for a long time and not just one or two seasons,” says workshop manager Dirk Peltzer. The work that will be integrated into the normal production cycle should begin at the beginning of the year. “No big deal,” says Peltzer. “Our stage sets are six or seven meters high. The 2.20 meter crib is more or less a model for us. ”For his employee Martin Dreyer, who will retire this summer, it will be the last job – a legacy. Until then, the construction will be in place and checked on site to see whether everything fits. “It’s an old church. You can’t rely on the dimensions. The steps to the altar, which are integrated, can be of different heights. ”Then the stage painters take over.
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A lot of wood, theater slats and slate are used for the crib. But everything has to be easy to handle.
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Photo: Lammertz, Thomas (lamm)
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At the beginning of the coming Advent season, the church is to be reopened – with the nativity scene, the figures of which are always rearranged according to the biblical passages. A sign of hope.
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The drafts for the new Stolberg crib were made by the painter and stage designer Robert Schrag.
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Photo: Lammertz, Thomas (lamm)
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Because around St.Mary’s Ascension, life is difficult even without natural disasters. “It is a former working-class district and today it is almost a purely Muslim area. The church is on the main shopping street, but it is currently dead. All the shops have been destroyed. ”The church should once again stand for hope, be a meeting place. Because it is the main church in the community association of seven churches. It’s not the oldest, built in 1855 – St. Lucia in the old town dates back to the 14th century castle chapel. But the Church of the Assumption is a listed building: “During the Second World War it was destroyed under artillery fire. During the reconstruction, the false ceiling was drawn in from ammunition boxes from the ‘Third Reich’, ”Weigner explains. A symbol of survival.
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This should appeal to many people again in the future. “A mulled wine stand and program should be a meeting point for families in Advent.” And bring donations, because the costs of around 20,000 euros have to be refinanced.
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