View source for Gem.Verein "Alt-Nördlingen"

{{AIGenerated}}
{{DynamicInfobox|qid=Q122798322}}

The '''Verein Alt Nördlingen e. V.''' (VAN) is a non-profit heritage and theatre association in [[wikipedia:Nördlingen|Nördlingen]] in the [[wikipedia:Donau-Ries|district of Donau-Ries]], [[wikipedia:Swabia (Bavaria)|Swabia]], Germany. Founded in 1924 to preserve the cultural traditions of the former imperial city, it has run the open-air amateur theatre ''Freilichtbühne Alte Bastei'' in a bastion of the town wall every summer since 1949, except in 2020.<ref name="home" /><ref name="geschichte" />

== History ==
The association was founded on 12 September 1924 at the Gasthof ''Walfisch'' at the invitation of mayor Otto Mainer, with more than 200 citizens attending. Its aims were to stage the historical festival play ''Anno 1634'', a historical procession recreating the reception of King [[wikipedia:Gustavus Adolphus|Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden]], historical dance plays and the traditional ''Stabenfest'', and generally to keep alive the cultural heritage of the town and promote its economic life.<ref name="geschichte" /> The festival play ''Anno 1634'' by the Fessenheim pastor Wolf Meyer-Erlach, about the [[wikipedia:Battle of Nördlingen (1634)|Battle of Nördlingen]] of 1634, premiered on 25 July 1925 in the hall of the Hotel ''Deutsches Haus'', directed by Fritz Basil of the Munich court theatre; it was repeated six times in three weeks before sold-out houses, with special trains bringing visitors from Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart.<ref name="festspiel" />

The idea of using the ''Alte Bastei'' as a natural stage came from Johannes Flierl, a founding member who became the association's director of plays in 1948 and later its chairman. Around 1930 he staged a Tell play there with lay actors, and at Whitsun 1932 he presented plays by [[wikipedia:Hans Sachs|Hans Sachs]] in the Bastei.<ref name="bastei" /> Regular summer seasons on the open-air stage began in 1949. Since 1995 a children's and youth play has been staged each year alongside the main production.<ref name="home" /><ref name="chronik" />

== Repertoire ==
The repertoire includes classics, popular theatre, musicals, children's plays and, repeatedly, plays on the history of Nördlingen and the Ries, such as several versions of the story of Maria Holl, a woman accused of witchcraft in Nördlingen.<ref name="home" /><ref name="chronik" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Productions (incomplete)<ref name="chronik" />
! Year !! Title !! Author !! Director and notes
|-
| 1949 || ''Vier Freier um Barbara'' || G. A. Zipperer || Hans Flierl
|-
| 1950 || ''Anno 1634'' || Wolf Meyer-Erlach || Hannes Steininger; 1950/51
|-
| 1951 || ''Jedermann'' || [[wikipedia:Hugo von Hofmannsthal|Hugo von Hofmannsthal]] || Hannes Steininger; 1951/52
|-
| 1953 || ''Die Rabensteinerin'' || [[wikipedia:Ernst von Wildenbruch|Ernst von Wildenbruch]] || Hannes Steininger
|-
| 1954 || ''Maria Holl – Die Hexe von Nördlingen'' || L. Sporhan || Hannes Steininger
|-
| 1955 || ''Der Geiger von Gmünd'' || adapted by G. A. Zipperer || Hannes Steininger
|-
| 1956 || ''Der Verschwender'' || [[wikipedia:Ferdinand Raimund|Ferdinand Raimund]] || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1957 || ''Die Mühlenlegende'' || Costa || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1958 || ''Die Nibelungen'' || [[wikipedia:Friedrich Hebbel|Friedrich Hebbel]] || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1959 || ''Wallensteins Tod'' || [[wikipedia:Friedrich Schiller|Friedrich Schiller]] || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1960 || ''Der Reiter'' || Heinrich Zerkaulen || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1961 || ''Der zerbrochene Krug'' || [[wikipedia:Heinrich von Kleist|Heinrich von Kleist]] || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1962 || ''Das große Welttheater'' || Hugo von Hofmannsthal || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1963 || ''Der Jäger von Fall'' || [[wikipedia:Ludwig Ganghofer|Ludwig Ganghofer]] || Hans Rubin
|-
| 1964 || ''Friedrich von Hürnheim'' || Michael Eberhardt || Karl Huith
|-
| 1965 || ''Die deutschen Kleinstädter'' || [[wikipedia:August von Kotzebue|August von Kotzebue]] || Karl Huith
|-
| 1966 || ''Schneider Wibbel'' || Hans Müller-Schlösser || Karl Huith
|-
| 1966 || ''Der Glöckner von Notre Dame'' || [[wikipedia:Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer|Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer]] || Karl Huith
|-
| 1967 || ''Das Wirtshaus im Spessart'' || Paul Wanner || Karl Huith
|-
| 1968 || ''Der Schelm von Bergen'' || Wilhelm Dörffler || Karl Huith
|-
| 1969 || ''Der falsche Herzog'' || unknown || Karl Huith
|-
| 1970 || ''Vier Freier um Barbara'' || G. A. Zipperer || Karl Huith
|-
| 1971 || ''Aber Herr Bürgermeister'' || Hans Müller-Schlösser || Karl Huith
|-
| 1972 || ''Der Revisor'' || [[wikipedia:Nikolai Gogol|Nikolai Gogol]] || Karl Huith
|-
| 1973 || ''Der fröhliche Weinberg'' || [[wikipedia:Carl Zuckmayer|Carl Zuckmayer]] || Karl Huith
|-
| 1974 || ''Die Weiber von Schorndorf'' || Paul Wanner || Karl Huith
|-
| 1976 || ''Datterich'' || [[wikipedia:Ernst Elias Niebergall|Ernst Elias Niebergall]] || Karl Huith
|-
| 1977 || ''Kleider machen Leute'' || Paul Wanner || Karl Huith
|-
| 1978 || ''Maria Holl – Die Hexe von Nördlingen'' || L. Sporhan || Karl Huith
|-
| 1979 || ''Der Schneider von Ulm'' || Paul Wanner || Karl Huith
|-
| 1980 || ''Die Weiber von Weinsberg'' || Paul Wanner || Karl Huith
|-
| 1981 || ''Der Maulkorb'' || [[wikipedia:Heinrich Spoerl|Heinrich Spoerl]] || Karl Huith
|-
| 1982 || ''Ihr 106. Geburtstag'' || Jean Sarment || Karl Huith
|-
| 1983 || ''Komödie der Irrungen'' || [[wikipedia:William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare]] || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1984 || ''Die arge Not von Nördlingen'' || Franz Taut, adapted by Hans Fischer || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1985 || ''Die Dame von Maxim'' || [[wikipedia:Georges Feydeau|Georges Feydeau]] || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1986 || ''Der Bürger als Edelmann'' || [[wikipedia:Molière|Molière]] || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1987 || ''So G'sell so'' || Hans Fischer || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1988 || ''Die Freier'' || [[wikipedia:Joseph von Eichendorff|Joseph von Eichendorff]] || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1988 || ''Der Kater'' || [[wikipedia:Ludwig Tieck|Ludwig Tieck]] || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1989 || ''Ein Sommernachtstraum'' || William Shakespeare || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1990 || ''Jedermann'' || Hugo von Hofmannsthal || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1991 || ''Scapins Schelmenstreiche'' || Molière || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1991 || ''Das ist doch wie verhext'' || Hans Fischer || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1992 || ''Deutsche Kleinstädter'' || August von Kotzebue || Hans Fischer
|-
| 1993 || ''Der Lügner'' || [[wikipedia:Carlo Goldoni|Carlo Goldoni]] || Frank Grupe
|-
| 1994 || ''Der Bauer als Millionär'' || Ferdinand Raimund || Frank Grupe
|-
| 1995 || ''Der Brandner Kaspar und das ewige Leben'' || Kurt Wilhelm || Helmi Kling and Frank Grupe
|-
| 1995 || ''Der Räuber Hotzenplotz'' || [[wikipedia:Otfried Preußler|Otfried Preußler]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; first children's production
|-
| 1996 || ''Der Widerspenstigen Zähmung'' || William Shakespeare || Helmi Kling and Frank Grupe
|-
| 1996 || ''Max und Moritz'' || [[wikipedia:Wilhelm Busch|Wilhelm Busch]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 1997 || ''Die Dachserin / Erster Klasse'' || [[wikipedia:Ludwig Thoma|Ludwig Thoma]] || Helmi Kling and Frank Grupe
|-
| 1997 || ''Das Dschungelbuch'' || [[wikipedia:Rudyard Kipling|Rudyard Kipling]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 1998 || ''Maria Holl – Die Hexe von Nördlingen'' || Frank Grupe || Helmi Kling and Frank Grupe
|-
| 1998 || ''Pinocchios Abenteuer'' || after [[wikipedia:Carlo Collodi|Carlo Collodi]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 1999 || ''Lysistrate oder Die Kriegslist der Weiber'' || Frank Grupe after [[wikipedia:Aristophanes|Aristophanes]] || Helmi Kling and Frank Grupe
|-
| 1999 || ''Die kleine Hexe'' || Otfried Preußler || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2000 || ''Die Dreigroschenoper'' || [[wikipedia:Bertolt Brecht|Bertolt Brecht]] and [[wikipedia:Kurt Weill|Kurt Weill]] || Helmi Kling
|-
| 2000 || ''Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer'' || [[wikipedia:Michael Ende|Michael Ende]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2001 || ''1634 – Schicksalsjahr der freien Reichsstadt Nördlingen'' || Frank Grupe || Helmi Kling
|-
| 2001 || ''Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren'' || after the [[wikipedia:Brothers Grimm|Brothers Grimm]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2002 || ''Die Pfingstorgel'' || Alois Johannes Lippl || Helmi Kling
|-
| 2002 || ''Totentanz'' || Alois Johannes Lippl || Helmi Kling; in the church of St. Josef
|-
| 2002 || ''Pippi Langstrumpf'' || [[wikipedia:Astrid Lindgren|Astrid Lindgren]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2003 || ''Die drei Musketiere'' || Theodor Schübel after [[wikipedia:Alexandre Dumas|Alexandre Dumas]] || Helmi Kling
|-
| 2003 || ''Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse'' || Dolly Hardt after [[wikipedia:Hans Christian Andersen|Hans Christian Andersen]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2004 || ''Georg Cratzer – Der Bleisiegelfälscher von Nördlingen'' || Frank Grupe || Helmi Kling
|-
| 2004 || ''Die Biene Maja'' || musical after [[wikipedia:Waldemar Bonsels|Waldemar Bonsels]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2005 || ''Der Mann von La Mancha'' || Dale Wasserman and Joe Darion / Mitch Leigh || Helmi Kling; musical ''[[wikipedia:Man of La Mancha|Man of La Mancha]]''
|-
| 2005 || ''Jedermann'' || Hugo von Hofmannsthal || Helmi Kling; in St. George's Church
|-
| 2005 || ''Emil und die Detektive'' || after [[wikipedia:Erich Kästner|Erich Kästner]] || Simone Hager and Heinz Maier; children's production
|-
| 2006 || ''Die Moritat vom Rieser Schimmel'' || Alois Johannes Lippl || Helmi Kling
|-
| 2006 || ''Aladin und die Wunderlampe'' || Stefan Schroeder || Simone Hager; children's production
|-
| 2007 || ''Der Talisman'' || [[wikipedia:Johann Nestroy|Johann Nestroy]] || Gerhard Jilka and Daniela Sachs
|-
| 2007 || ''Alice im Wunderland'' || [[wikipedia:Lewis Carroll|Lewis Carroll]] || Simone Hager; children's production
|-
| 2008 || ''Pension Schöller'' || [[wikipedia:Carl Laufs|Carl Laufs]] and Wilhelm Jacoby || Gerhard Jilka
|-
| 2008 || ''Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten'' || after the Brothers Grimm || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2009 || ''Maria Holl – Die Hexe von Nördlingen'' || Frank Grupe || Gerhard Jilka
|-
| 2009 || ''Der Zauberer von Oz'' || Manfred Hinrichs-Bettinger || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2010 || ''Ein Sommernachtstraum'' || William Shakespeare || Gerhard Jilka
|-
| 2010 || ''Das Dschungelbuch'' || Rudyard Kipling || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2011 || ''In 80 Tagen um die Welt'' || [[wikipedia:Jules Verne|Jules Verne]], adapted by Barbara Lackermeier || Gerhard Jilka
|-
| 2011 || ''Magdalena'' || Ludwig Thoma || Helmi Kling and Ulla Schrödersecker
|-
| 2011 || ''Lukas und Jim Knopf'' || Michael Ende || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2012 || ''Der Geizige'' || Molière || Gerhard Jilka
|-
| 2012 || ''Die Schöne und das Biest'' || [[wikipedia:Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont|Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont]] || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2013 || ''Im weißen Rössl'' || [[wikipedia:Oscar Blumenthal|Oscar Blumenthal]] and [[wikipedia:Gustav Kadelburg|Gustav Kadelburg]] || Barbara Lackermeier
|-
| 2013 || ''Die kleine Hexe'' || Otfried Preußler || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2014 || ''Das Haus der Bernarda'' || after [[wikipedia:Federico García Lorca|Federico García Lorca]] || Barbara Lackermeier
|-
| 2014 || ''Die goldene Gans'' || after the Brothers Grimm || Elfi Wagner and Betty Schneider; children's production
|-
| 2015 || ''Schikaneder – Sommer der Gaukler'' || after Robert Hültner || Barbara Lackermeier
|-
| 2015 || ''Urmel aus dem Eis'' || after [[wikipedia:Max Kruse|Max Kruse]] || Annette Mack and Alexander Plöger; children's production
|-
| 2016 || ''Kohlhiesels Töchter'' || after Hans Kräly and Georg Zoch || Barbara Lackermeier
|-
| 2016 || ''Das kleine Gespenst'' || Otfried Preußler || Annette Mack and Alexander Plöger; children's production
|-
| 2017 || ''Els – Die Frauenhausakte von Nördlingen'' || Barbara Lackermeier and Timo Meister || Barbara Lackermeier and Timo Meister
|-
| 2017 || ''Der kleine Ritter Trenk'' || [[wikipedia:Kirsten Boie|Kirsten Boie]] || Annette Mack and Alexander Plöger; children's production
|-
| 2018 || ''Der bayrische Jedermann'' || Oskar Weber || Ulla Schrödersecker
|-
| 2018 || ''Der Froschkönig'' || after the Brothers Grimm || Annette Mack and Alexander Plöger; children's production
|-
| 2019 || ''Das Wirtshaus im Spessart'' || after [[wikipedia:Wilhelm Hauff|Wilhelm Hauff]] || Markus Hirschberger
|-
| 2019 || ''Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13'' || Michael Ende || Annette Mack and Alexander Plöger; children's production
|-
| 2021 || ''Boeing, Boeing'' || [[wikipedia:Marc Camoletti (playwright)|Marc Camoletti]] || Markus Hirschberger
|-
| 2022 || ''Pippi'' || Astrid Lindgren || Annette Mack and Alexander Plöger; children's production
|-
| 2022 || ''Georg Cratzer'' || Frank Grupe || Markus Hirschberger
|-
| 2023 || ''Don Camillo & Peppone & die jungen Leute'' || Rolf Wilken || Winfried Frey
|-
| 2023 || ''Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten'' || Sabine Scholz || Annette Mack and Madlen Kleinmann; children's production
|-
| 2024 || ''My Fair Lady'' || [[wikipedia:Alan Jay Lerner|Alan Jay Lerner]] || Carmen-Dorothé Moll; year inferred from position in the list
|-
| 2024 || ''Der kleine Vampir'' || [[wikipedia:Angela Sommer-Bodenburg|Angela Sommer-Bodenburg]], dramatised by Wolf-Dietrich Sprenger || Annette Mack and Madlen Kleinmann; children's production
|-
| 2025 || ''Maria Holl – Hexenjagd in Nördlingen'' || Frank Grupe || Carmen-Dorothé Moll
|-
| 2025 || ''Tabaluga – Es lebe die Freundschaft'' || after an idea by [[wikipedia:Peter Maffay|Peter Maffay]], [[wikipedia:Rolf Zuckowski|Rolf Zuckowski]] and Gregor Rottschalk || Annette Mack and Madlen Kleinmann; children's production
|-
| 2026 || ''Das Dschungelbuch'' || Wolfgang Welter after Rudyard Kipling || Annette Mack and Madlen Kleinmann; children's production
|-
| 2026 || ''Der Brandner Kaspar'' || Kurt Wilhelm || Markus Hirschberger
|}

== Organisation ==
The mayor of Nördlingen sits on the board of the Verein Alt Nördlingen.<ref name="vorstand" />

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="home">[https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/ Verein Alt Nördlingen – Willkommen], Verein Alt Nördlingen e. V., retrieved 17 October 2026. [https://web.archive.org/web/20260712091552/https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/ Archived] on 12 July 2026.</ref>
<ref name="geschichte">[https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/vereinsgeschichte/ Die Vereinsgründung und die ersten Jahre], Verein Alt Nördlingen e. V., retrieved 17 October 2026. [https://web.archive.org/web/20260611131804/https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/vereinsgeschichte/ Archived] on 11 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="festspiel">[https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/das-festspiel-anno-1634/ Das Festspiel „Anno 1634 – Die Schlacht bei Nördlingen“], Verein Alt Nördlingen e. V., retrieved 17 October 2026. [https://web.archive.org/web/20260514194009/https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/das-festspiel-anno-1634/ Archived] on 14 May 2026.</ref>
<ref name="bastei">[https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/die-bastei/ Die Bastei], Verein Alt Nördlingen e. V., retrieved 17 October 2026. [https://web.archive.org/web/20261020134645/https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/die-bastei/ Archived] on 20 October 2026.</ref>
<ref name="chronik">[https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/chronik/ Chronik – bisher wurde gespielt], Verein Alt Nördlingen e. V., retrieved 17 October 2026. [https://web.archive.org/web/20260514201932/https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/chronik/ Archived] on 14 May 2026.</ref>
<ref name="vorstand">[https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/satzung-und-vorstand/ Satzung und Vorstand], Verein Alt Nördlingen e. V., retrieved 17 October 2026. [https://web.archive.org/web/20260712084505/https://www.freilichtbuehne-noerdlingen.de/satzung-und-vorstand/ Archived] on 12 July 2026.</ref>
</references>