Maria Happel enchants Reichenau: Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Südbahnhotel!

Maria Happel enchants Reichenau: Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Südbahnhotel!

In the world of theater festivals, director Maria Happel has truly shown a good hand. She has been directing the Reichenau Festival since 2022 and is bringing two remarkable pieces to the stage this year: the production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the traditional Südbahnhotel and Doderer's fascinating “Waterfalls of Slunj”. A conversation in the homely atmosphere of the Viennese Café Merkur, which Happel has discovered as a favorite place since her arrival in Vienna in 1991, provides insights into her work and visions.

The rehearsals for “Midsummer Night’s Dream” take place in the bakers’ guild house. Happel describes the rehearsal locations as “all places with their own flair”. And indeed, the diversity of locations where the different pieces are rehearsed is reflected in the creativity of the festival. For example, “Job” is being rehearsed in the Theater Akcent, “The Waterfalls of Slunj” in the Off-Theater in the seventh district, “The God of Carnage” in the eighth district and “Arsenic and Lace” in the third district.

The ensemble of “Midsummer Night’s Dream”

In the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” Maria Happel has brought together both creative and experienced talent. Nicolas Brieger shines in the roles of Theseus and Oberon, while Barbara Petritsch embodies Hippolyta and Titania. Other notable actors include Sebastian Egger as Lysander and Pia Zimmermann as Helena. The production is complemented by a harmonious selection of music by Helmut Thomas Stippich as well as the creative stage and costume designs by Alexandra Burgstaller and Erika Navas.

The plot of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” draws the audience into a fairytale-like web of wedding celebrations, confusion and unspoken longings. The mixture of elegant court society and crude comedy is likely to captivate the audience.

A look at Tel Aviv

But Maria Happel is not the only one who is helping to shape changes in the theater landscape. The staging of "Richard III", directed by Itay Tiran, celebrated its world premiere at the Gesher Theater in Tel-Aviv in September 2023. This captivating new interpretation of Shakespeare's classic shows how vibrant and dynamic theater is in an international context.

Vienna can therefore look forward to the upcoming festival in Reichenau, which will provide an exciting stage with Happel's fresh approach and youthful enthusiasm for theater. If you want to increase your anticipation of the new productions, you should come to the city straight away and enjoy the cultural life yourself. With this in mind: “The theater blows us away!”