Guttenstein: With Turenne in the footsteps of Raymond – noe.ORF.at

In Turenne’s work, Ferdinand Raymond’s “The Farmer as a Millionaire” is being rehearsed in a small theater in 1848, while in Metternich the revolution in Vienna is getting closer than ever. The narrator Adam Holzapfel leads the play and also takes on other roles in the play: recruited by the imperialists as a foot soldier for a firing squad, works as a bouncer at the theatre, is a rejected lover, father of a family, philosopher, survivor and kind of anarchist.

Raimundspiele Gutenstein had to unfortunately announce in May 2023 that Johannes Krech was unable to play the main role due to illness. He was replaced by Günther Franzmeyer, who completed a circuit. In 2014 he played Fortunatus Root in Ferdinand Raimund’s “The Farmer as a Millionaire” at Raimundspiele Gutenstein. It is precisely this piece that will play an important role in Gutenstein in the summer of 2023.

Born in Upper Austria, Gunther Franzmeier has been an actor since 1988. After several years as a freelance actor, he became a member of the ensemble at the Vienna Volkstheater. After 25 years and three directorships at the Volkstheater, he has been a member of the ensemble at the Theater in der Josefstadt since 2022.

World premiere in the Gutenstein Theater tent

When Johannes Krech and the Gutensteiners asked me if I wanted to write a new piece for Raimundspiele there, I revived an idea so dear to me: What happens when art collides with reality? When do disasters, epidemics, wars and revolutions happen not somewhere, but at the doors of the stage? The play because fatal events do not stop at the doors, as was the case, for example, during an epidemic?” This is what Peter Turenni writes about the motives and background for his new work.

And one more thing I wanted to explore with this play: could my theatrical credo that there is comedy in every tragedy also be preserved under these circumstances? And actresses,” Turenne continued.

“Off to Gutenstein,” Turenne calls out to the audience on Raimundspiele. Premiere is July 13th. Directed by Stephanie Mohr this year. The stage design was by Miriam Bosch. The game will be played until August 6th.