After a successful summer 2023 with around 73,0000 visitors, the Landesbühnen Sachsen will start advance sales for the "Felsenbühnen Festspiele" 2024 in the spa town of Rathen on 1 November. From May to September, audiences can expect seven productions on the natural stage in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, including five successful plays from the two years after the reopening, a production from the repertoire of the Radebeul Theatre and a new production that promises suspense, stunts and plenty of Western action.
The festival season will begin with the premiere of "Shatterhand". Landesbühnen artistic director Manuel Schöbel directs this adventure play, freely adapted from Karl May by Holger Kahl, which opens the Felsenbühnen Festspiele 2024 on 18 May.The title role is played by Sascha Gluth, known to many as a long-time leading actor at the Störtebeker Festspiele (2002 to 2012), who has already impersonated "Old Shatterhand" on the Kalkberg stage in Bad Segeberg in 2019 and 2022. He will be joined by Michael Berndt-Cananá from the acting ensemble of the Landesbühnen Sachsen as "Winnetou".
The performances will be accompanied by a supporting programme on contemporary indigenous culture from North America, presented by the Landesbühnen Sachsen and the Karl May Museum Radebeul:
Under the title "Turtle Island", a wide range of different cultures will be on display from 16. A wide variety of events by indigenous guests and artists are planned in the spa town of Rathen and in Radebeul from 16 to 25 May 2024, including a panel discussion on cultural understanding and cultural comprehension in the Karl May Museum and an exhibition of works by contemporary North American indigenous artists in Rathen's "Haus des Gastes". Cultural mediator, actor and performer Kendall Old Elk from the Apsaloka people of Montana will take you into the world of indigenous customs, dances and songs from North America in two shows on 24 and 25 May at the Felsenbühne Rathen. On the way through the spa town on these two days, interested people can see and buy selected products of indigenous craftspeople beyond the mainstream and industrial production. Art educational workshops are also planned, which will take place in schools in the Pirna and Meißen districts during the week from 13 to 17 May.
In addition to the new production of "Shatterhand", the 2024 audience can look forward to five successful plays from the two years after the reopening as well as a production from the repertoire of the Landesbühnen Sachsen: The new production of Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz" attracted almost 10,000 people to the natural stage last year and can be experienced there again due to great demand from 7 June 2024.
Also outdoor-tested is Ralph Benatzky's "Im weißen Rößl", with which the music theatre ensemble of the Landesbühnen and the Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen made a guest appearance at the Luisenburg Festival in Wunsiedel in 2021. The operetta celebrates its Felsenbühnen premiere on 25 July 2024.
An opera classic awaits visitors with Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman". The production by opera director Kai Anne Schuhmacher thrilled audiences and critics in the summer of 2022 and can be seen next year from 10 August against an impressive backdrop.
In 2024, the focus will again be on plays for children and families: with over 17,000 visitors in 15 performances, "Peter Pan" by Manuel Schöbel became the most successful play of the past summer. From 15 June, the theatre ensemble will once again take the audience on a flight to Neverland. DEFA legend Gojko Mitić will once again play the role of the chief.
For the third year, Wilhelm Hauff's "The Cold Heart" is on the programme. The production by Peter Kube with Tom Pauls as Dutchman-Michel became a summer event for young and old in previous seasons and returns in August to the open-air stage.
The classic children's book "Pettersson and Findus"is ideally suited for young theatre audiences aged 5 and over, and will be staged in a new version with Jürgen Haase as "Pettersson" from the end of May as a two-part afternoon.
The festival season will begin with the premiere of "Shatterhand". Landesbühnen artistic director Manuel Schöbel directs this adventure play, freely adapted from Karl May by Holger Kahl, which opens the Felsenbühnen Festspiele 2024 on 18 May.The title role is played by Sascha Gluth, known to many as a long-time leading actor at the Störtebeker Festspiele (2002 to 2012), who has already impersonated "Old Shatterhand" on the Kalkberg stage in Bad Segeberg in 2019 and 2022. He will be joined by Michael Berndt-Cananá from the acting ensemble of the Landesbühnen Sachsen as "Winnetou".
The performances will be accompanied by a supporting programme on contemporary indigenous culture from North America, presented by the Landesbühnen Sachsen and the Karl May Museum Radebeul:
Under the title "Turtle Island", a wide range of different cultures will be on display from 16. A wide variety of events by indigenous guests and artists are planned in the spa town of Rathen and in Radebeul from 16 to 25 May 2024, including a panel discussion on cultural understanding and cultural comprehension in the Karl May Museum and an exhibition of works by contemporary North American indigenous artists in Rathen's "Haus des Gastes". Cultural mediator, actor and performer Kendall Old Elk from the Apsaloka people of Montana will take you into the world of indigenous customs, dances and songs from North America in two shows on 24 and 25 May at the Felsenbühne Rathen. On the way through the spa town on these two days, interested people can see and buy selected products of indigenous craftspeople beyond the mainstream and industrial production. Art educational workshops are also planned, which will take place in schools in the Pirna and Meißen districts during the week from 13 to 17 May.
In addition to the new production of "Shatterhand", the 2024 audience can look forward to five successful plays from the two years after the reopening as well as a production from the repertoire of the Landesbühnen Sachsen: The new production of Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz" attracted almost 10,000 people to the natural stage last year and can be experienced there again due to great demand from 7 June 2024.
Also outdoor-tested is Ralph Benatzky's "Im weißen Rößl", with which the music theatre ensemble of the Landesbühnen and the Elbland Philharmonie Sachsen made a guest appearance at the Luisenburg Festival in Wunsiedel in 2021. The operetta celebrates its Felsenbühnen premiere on 25 July 2024.
An opera classic awaits visitors with Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman". The production by opera director Kai Anne Schuhmacher thrilled audiences and critics in the summer of 2022 and can be seen next year from 10 August against an impressive backdrop.
In 2024, the focus will again be on plays for children and families: with over 17,000 visitors in 15 performances, "Peter Pan" by Manuel Schöbel became the most successful play of the past summer. From 15 June, the theatre ensemble will once again take the audience on a flight to Neverland. DEFA legend Gojko Mitić will once again play the role of the chief.
For the third year, Wilhelm Hauff's "The Cold Heart" is on the programme. The production by Peter Kube with Tom Pauls as Dutchman-Michel became a summer event for young and old in previous seasons and returns in August to the open-air stage.
The classic children's book "Pettersson and Findus"is ideally suited for young theatre audiences aged 5 and over, and will be staged in a new version with Jürgen Haase as "Pettersson" from the end of May as a two-part afternoon.
