Rathen rock stage

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Rathen rock stage: Der Freischütz

The Rathen rock stage is a natural stage in Saxon Switzerland . It is located in the basin at the upper end of the Wehlgrund between the rocks Kleine Gans and Großer Wehlturm below Bastei and Felsenburg Neurathen . The boiler entrance branches off to the left just above the mouth of the Amselgrund . The open-air theater has 1,954 seats, 1,800 of which are sellable.

history

The open-air theater was created in 1936, inspired by the ideas of the Thing Movement , by the Rathen community for the performance of plays and pieces of music.

The opening took place on May 24, 1936 with the "Bastepiel" by Kurt Arnold Findeisen . 200 Rathen residents worked in front of and behind the stage in the play. In 1937 the stage was taken over by the Saxon Community Culture Association. A year later (1938) the first Karl May Festival took place. As a result of the Second World War , gaming operations were suspended from 1942.

In 1946 the rock stage reopened, which has been used by the state theaters of Saxony since 1954 . On June 6, 1954, the Götz von Berlichingen play was performed as the opening piece for the Landesbühnen . The 1954 season had more than 90,000 visitors between June and August.

In the following years, especially large dramatic and musical pieces were performed, which developed a special effect against the surrounding rocky backdrop. These included u. a. Der Freischütz (1956), Wilhelm Tell , Die Räuber , Iphigenie auf Tauris and What you want . In 1984, with the performance of Der Schatz im Silbersee in an arrangement by Helmut Menschel, the interrupted tradition of Karl May reception was continued again by the Saxony State Theaters. This was followed by Winnetou in 1987 (adaptation by Uwe Wolf) and in 1995 Old Surehand (adaptation by Olaf Hörbe ). On the occasion of Karl May's 165th birthday, the new play Der Schatz im Silbersee started on June 23, 2007, adapted by the actor and director Olaf Hörbe.

In the autumn of 1984 the Rathen rock stage was the setting for the shooting of the Police Call 110 episode One Step Too Far (working title: "Fear") of the GDR television at the time . Here and at other locations in Saxon Switzerland - Stolpen , Rathen , Hinterhermsdorf - worked among others. a. the actors Herbert Köfer , Susanne Düllmann , Marlies Ludwig and Christel Peters . The opera Der Freischütz , staged by the Landesbühne Sachsen , was part of the film plot in longer scenes. First broadcast of the film: September 1, 1985, DDR1.

In the summer seasons between May and September, up to 90 performances by the Saxony State Theaters take place here. The program offers a varied range from musical theater to drama, from classical to modern pieces. Traditional performances include the Karl May pieces by Freischütz , Hansel and Gretel and Carmina Burana .

From September 2019 to April 2022, the natural stage is to be modernized for 14.2 million euros. On an interim basis, a theater tent for 600 visitors will be erected at the S-Bahn station in Rathen. 2020 will have its premiere there:

  • Peter Pan
  • Kiss Me Kate
  • The frog has to go
  • Annie Get Your Gun
  • Pettson and Findus

Visitor numbers

  • 2003: 78,010 visitors
  • 2010: 40,500 visitors
  • 2015: 73,400 visitors
  • 2016: 63,000 visitors at 82 events

gallery


  • Cash desk in Amselgrund

  • The rocks of the Wehlgrund form the backdrop of the rock stage

  • Part of the stage

  • Scene from the children's musical The Rainbow

documentary

  • Dream setting in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains - 80 years of the Rathen rock stage. Documentary, Germany, 2016, 29:56 min., Script and director: Susann Krüger, production: schmidtFilm, camera: Simon Roloff, MDR Sachsen, series: Der Osten - Discover, where you live , first broadcast: May 24, 2016 on MDR Television , synopsis and online video from MDR.

Web links

Commons : Felsenbühne Rathen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rock stage brought out of hibernation. In: Sächsische Zeitung , (Sebnitz edition), May 2, 2011.
  2. ↑ Katrin Sieg : Ethnic Drag. Performing Race, Nation, Sexuality in West Germany . University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor MI 2002, ISBN 0-472-11282-1 , pp. 82 . ( limited preview in Google Book search)
  3. ^ VEB Bibliographisches Institut (Ed.): Elbsandsteingebirge. (= Heimat- und Wanderbuch , No. 3.) VEB Bibliographisches Institut, Wanderliteratur department, Leipzig 1956, ZDB -ID 1404840-1 , p. 67.
  4. ^ Michael Geisler: Felsenbühne Rathen. ( Memento from June 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: Sächsische Schweiz Portal , November 16, 2011.
  5. ↑ Felsenbühne Rathen is aiming for a record number of visitors. In: Sächsische Zeitung , (Pirna edition), September 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ The rock stage is saved for now. In: Sächsische Zeitung , (Pirna edition), December 22, 2010.
  7. ↑ Third best season of the Felsenbühne Rathen. In: Sächsische Zeitung , September 15, 2015, for a fee.
  8. ↑ Thomas Morgenroth: Felsenbühne with record attendance at the season finale. In: Sächsische Zeitung , (Pirna), September 14, 2016.

Coordinates: 50 ° 57 ′ 49 ″  N , 14 ° 4 ′ 25 ″  E