Marionettentheater Schwandorf
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| Founded | 27 July 1977 |
|---|---|
| Legal form | Registered association (eingetragener Verein) |
| Member of | Verband Bayerischer Amateurtheater |
| Location | |
| Headquarters | Schwandorf |
| Country | Germany |
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| |
| Links | |
| Website | marionettentheater-schwandorf.de |
| Social media | Facebook · Instagram |
The Marionettentheater Schwandorf is a marionette theatre in Schwandorf, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany. It grew out of a school puppet group founded in 1977 by the art teacher Raimund Pöllmann, played for three decades as the Schwandorfer Marionettentheater in the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, and opened its own playhouse at Fronberger Straße 33 in 2023.[1][2]
History
The theatre's roots lie in the Höflingerschule in Schwandorf, where pupils made marionettes with their art teacher Raimund Pöllmann. The first production, Der Krämerskorb after Hans Sachs, was staged in summer 1977, and the group became known as the Höflinger Marionettenbühne.[1] According to the Schwandorf city museum, the first performance took place on 27 July 1977 at the school-leaving ceremony of the ninth grade, in the school's gymnasium, with the text played from tape.[2] The success of the group led the school to introduce "Schulspiel" as a subject with two lessons a week for the marionette group.[1]
In 1984 former pupils formed a second, adult marionette group, also led by Pöllmann. At the tenth anniversary in 1987 it took the name Schwandorfer Marionettentheater, and in 1988 it moved into the attic of the newly founded Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, where it played every November and December. The school group last performed in October 2002 in Sokolov in the Czech Republic, with Die drei Wünsche after Johann Peter Hebel in Czech.[2] In some seasons the theatre gave up to 32 performances in November and December. From 1991 Pöllmann carved the marionette heads from lime wood, while his wife Christine made the costumes; by 2019 more than 60 productions with more than 600 figures had been made under their direction.[1] In 2018–2019 the Stadtmuseum Schwandorf marked the theatre's 40th anniversary with a special exhibition.[3]
From the mid-2010s the theatre sought a permanent venue of its own. With the support of the city of Schwandorf, which planned the conversion of a municipal building, the Marionettentheater Schwandorf was founded as a supporting association in July 2019, and Raimund Pöllmann's son Michael Alexander Pöllmann, an actor and theatre-maker based in Vienna, took over the direction. During the COVID-19 pandemic the theatre developed a new touring stage inspired by the Augsburger Puppenkiste and the Salzburg Marionette Theatre, began recording its soundtracks with professional actors and speakers, and started co-productions and guest performances in Austria, Slovenia, Belgium and Tunisia. The theatre opened its own playhouse to the public on 5 May 2023 with Pinocchio.[1]
Repertoire
The theatre presents itself as a stage for all ages. Its early repertoire drew on the Kasperl comedies of Franz von Pocci, which Pöllmann adapted for his players, as well as on Hans Sachs, Sigfrid Färber and Andreas Gryphius; later adaptations included works by Molière, Carlo Goldoni, William Shakespeare, Mozart, Oscar Wilde, Max Frisch and Ferdinand Raimund. The plays are performed to soundtracks recorded in the theatre's own studio.[1] The city museum names Was ihr wollt, Romeo und Julia, Der Geizige, Der eingebildete Kranke and the operas Bastien und Bastienne and Die Zauberflöte, for which singers and musicians from the region made recordings; the ensemble's principle was to bring out at least two new productions every year.[2]
The current repertoire is divided into pieces for young audiences (among them Pupa circi, Leinen los!, Rumpelstilzchen, Das tapfere Schneiderlein, Hansel & Gretel, Pinocchio and two Kasperl ermittelt pieces), pieces for adults (Hoerburger, Die Wirtin, Gaslicht, Alkmene, Schönwerth and Zigeuner-Boxer) and the operas Bastien & Bastienne and Undine.[4] The adult piece Alkmene was recorded with actors including Anna-Maria Sturm and Dirk Nocker, and the Corona Kasperliade Großmutter, das Viruserl und die Zukunft by Bernhard Setzwein was produced with the Bayerischer Rundfunk speakers Irina Wanka and Werner Härtl.[1] In autumn 2026 the theatre toured to the Junges Theater Wien and the Internationale Puppentheatertage Mistelbach in Austria, and presented an advent-calendar puppet show in the German pavilion of Epcot in Florida.[5]
| Year | Title | Author | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Der Krämerskorb | after Hans Sachs | First production, Höflingerschule |
| 1988 | Die Zaubergeige | Franz von Pocci | Opening production in the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus |
| 1991 | Bastien und Bastienne | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | First production with carved lime-wood heads |
| 2002 | Die drei Wünsche | after Johann Peter Hebel | In Czech; last performance of the school group, Sokolov[2] |
| 2023 | Pinocchio | after Carlo Collodi | Opening of the theatre's own playhouse |
Venue
From 1988 the theatre played in the attic of the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus in Schwandorf.[2] Since 5 May 2023 it has had its own playhouse in a converted municipal building at Fronberger Straße 33, next to its former venue.[1]
Organisation
A separate Förderverein für das Marionettentheater Schwandorf e.V. supports the theatre.[4]
Awards
In 2015 the Schwandorfer Marionettentheater received the Kulturpreis des Bezirks Oberpfalz in the category Kleinkunst; the certificate was presented on 1 October 2015 by the district's Heimatpfleger Tobias Appl.[1][2]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 Woher -- Wohin, Marionettentheater Schwandorf, retrieved 20 October 2026. Archived on 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Marionettentheater – über 40 Jahre auf der Bühne. Sonderausstellung vom 19. Oktober 2018 bis 17. Februar 2019 (PDF), Stadtmuseum Schwandorf, retrieved 20 October 2026. Archived on 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Preise und Ausstellungen, Marionettentheater Schwandorf, retrieved 20 October 2026. Archived on 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Repertoire, Marionettentheater Schwandorf, retrieved 20 October 2026. Archived on 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Spielplan, Marionettentheater Schwandorf, retrieved 20 October 2026. Archived on 21 October 2026.