Cameras are now where the audience usually sits.

"Yes, for streaming," explains Alexander Beck to the astonished visitor.

"We now also have air conditioning with outside air and virus cleaning," the theater principal proudly proclaims.

Thanks to the federal funding program “Neustart Kultur”.

The stage has also been enlarged, in this case the funding of the Hessian Ministry of Culture and its funding program “Reopening Hessen for Culture” is to be thanked.

The Alte Brücke theater makes people mobile.

Beck alias "Alex" does not let himself get down.

He has been vaccinated twice, as is his "right hand" Sabrina Faber.

In view of all the pent-up, excess energy, neither of them really know what to do first.

In October the curtain is to rise again in the room theater in the Kleine Brückenstrasse in Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen.

Claudia Schülke

Freelance author in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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How did you survive the lockdown?

Beck has made his way as a spokesman for video games and film shoots.

Since all employees of the theater are freelance artists, short-time work was not possible.

Faber alias "Biena" started as a music teacher at a secondary school in order to get through the pandemic financially.

After all, she is not only an actress, but also appears as a singer with the band “Meet Loaf Tribute”.

The lockdown came at the wrong time because: "The 2019/20 season was the first season for us that sold well: 86 percent capacity utilization," said Beck.

“We tried to make the best of Corona,” he continues.

This included musical streams and streams for Malte Anders' comedy program "Homologie" for students about homosexuality.

"The stream cannot replace the live theater experience"

Beck now wants to continue his English program, which he started at the end of 2019.

He imagines a piece like “The 39 Steps”, which he has already shown with success in the past, in English on Fridays and in German on Saturdays.

With an intersection of old and new actors, such as Glenn Ariola, who grew up bilingually.

He is also toying with the podcast "Truth to be Told" and its true stories from life.

“Maybe we'll also record pieces as radio plays,” he muses.

In any case, every staging is to be recorded for the video channel in the future.

"The online program is only intended to serve as a support." Beck knows: "The stream cannot replace the live theater experience."

That's why he's now going out into the fresh air.

He had been looking for a possibility for summer open-air theater for a long time.

“On December 20, 2020,” Sabrina Faber still knows exactly, “called Markus Trageser on the cell phone.” The head of the cultural authority in Alzenau in Lower Franconia knew Beck from his years at Michael Quast's Fliegender Volksbühne.

Now he offered him the artistic direction of the Alzenau Castle Festival.

“He ran into open doors at my place,” says Beck.

“We all had a spark,” adds Faber.

Beck immediately created a concept and the calculation.

“Between January and March we had six to eight hour meetings,” he recalls.

On April 23, the Alzenau Culture Committee unanimously commissioned him with the new task.

"This premiere will take place, no matter how"

It won't really start until next year. But a hors d'oeuvre is already planned for this September, with a comedic revue based on Peter Turrini's comedy “The Landlady”, a modern version of Goldoni's “Mirandolina”. The premiere is to take place on September 3rd. And there is also a stream. "This premiere will take place, no matter how," says Beck. Advance sales for 2022 should begin immediately afterwards. Further performances will follow on September 4th, 10th and 11th. For the coming year he is planning the “Wizard of Oz” as a children's play (June 19), a thriller by Florian Battermann under the title “Agatha Christie's Hobby is Mord” (June 26) and the operetta “Im Weißen Rössl” (8 June) . July). There is space for up to 500 spectators outside, but only 170 under Corona conditions.

Beck is grateful to his regular audience: “You supported us with 9,000 euros in donations.” He is now planning to become a club member.

The support club is already online as a “bridge pillar”.

He is also planning bilingual programs for schools.

Possibly with the “Wizard of Oz”, his most successful children's play of 2019, and a workshop.

Oh yes, Beck has been working with the theater group in Heblos, a district of Lauterbach in the Vogelsbergkreis, for ten years: "Ten to twelve rehearsals with a super team, all professional amateurs who have been doing it for 30 years." .

How does he do it all?

“With good time management.

There is much to do.

After 16 months with nothing in a short time from zero to a hundred. "