Burg Stars 200 Years of Theatre Cult

Vienna, March 2012

Hermesvilla, Lainzer Tiergarten, 1130 Vienna

BURG STARS 200 YEARS OF THEATRE CULT

In cooperation with the Burgtheater with the kind support of the Bundestheater Holding

Opening: Thursday, March 29, 2012, 6 p.m. Exhibition location: Hermesvilla, Lainzer Tiergarten, 1130 Vienna Exhibition duration: March 30, 2012 till November 4, 2012 Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Press photos: www.wienmuseum.at/de/presse

The Burgtheater – or the “Burg” – is well-known as the “actors’ theatre”, where a personality cult has surrounded the actors since the beginning. Many visit the Burgtheater due to their favourite actor, not because they want to watch a particular play – a state of affairs that has been lamented time and again. The fuss about stars began early, as a result in fact of the elevation of the “Theatre beside the Castle” to the “German National Theatre” (1776). The court actors stood directly in the Emperor’s line of vision, and enjoyed high social status both among the aristocracy and middle classes. From the 20 th century onwards, many favourites of the public increased their popularity further by appearing in films.

The cult-like veneration found expression early on with Emperor Joseph II’s commissioning of the portraits of the main “national actors” for the Burgtheater. The exhibition in the Hermesvilla traces the tradition of actor portraits spanning some 230 years. The paintings reflect both Vienna’s “theatromania” (Stefan Zweig) and the change in styles. Many thespians who were worshipped in their day are forgotten today, while others have retained their glamour over the generations. The portraits from the “gallery of honour” are complemented by objects from the Wien Museum Collection, including paintings, death masks and mementos. The exhibition in the Hermesvilla takes place in cooperation with the Burgtheater. “In contrast with the transience of every theatre performance, the picture lasts almost an eternity. Many of the great actresses and actors remain by our side today in this way,” believes Matthias Hartmann, Director of the Burgtheater. In the accompanying programme, current Burg stars (Markus Meyer, Dorothee Hartinger, Ignaz Kirchner, Rudolf Melichar, Andrea Clausen and Johannes Krisch) reminisce about famous colleagues of yesterday through readings.

“Hall of Fame” of the dramatic arts

It was certainly not common in 18 th century Austria for an actor to have his portrait painted. Joseph II’s initiative from 1786 onwards thus resulted in a “theatre gallery” unique throughout Europe in this form, for which later the term “gallery of honour” was coined. The collection was continually added to with paintings and busts throughout the 19 th century, mostly showing the Burg stars in their most brilliant roles. In the 20 th century, however, only occasionally was the portrait collection extended. In 2006, after a longer period of interruption, a new start was made with the commissioning of contemporary artists. Many portraits can be found today in the Burgtheater foyer, others in the storage depot. “For the first time the portraits are on show outside of the Burgtheater”, Wien Museum Wolfgang Kos was happy to note, “perhaps a good opportunity to look more closely at pictures that one has often perhaps just strolled past.” Not all the portraits arose as the result of a Burgtheater commission; many came to the collection by different routes. Many of the pictures are conventional, yet the works of important painters are represented too, such as Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Hans Makart or Carry Hauser. Major contemporary artists like Erwin Wurm or Elke Krystufek were commissioned for the new portrait gallery, which was initiated in 2006 by Director Klaus Bachler with the support of the Österreichische Post AG. The exhibition in the Hermesvilla shows a selection of the most important actors of their time, with works of the highest artistic quality possible included.

From the earliest Burgtheater to the present day

The first ensemble of the old Burgtheater on Michaelerplatz was initially formed from actors who had already worked there before it was named National Theatre, as well as from new arrivals from Germany, who had already been drawn to Vienna by Joseph II. Many of the first Burgtheater stars came from humble origins, the distinction of being one of the “Emperor’s actors” raising their social status enormously. The theatre’s artistic direction was initially set by the actors themselves, then in 1789 Franz Karl Brockmann took over as manager, although all essential decisions could only be made with the approval of the Emperor. The strict censorship meant, however, that the repertoire left much to be desired, which was why people mainly went to the theatre to watch the actors. It was not until Joseph Schreyvogel became “Artistic Secretary” from 1814 to 1832 that the Viennese public was increasingly confronted with the world literature of Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller, Lessing and not least of all Franz Grillparzer. Newly engaged stars such as Sophie Schröder or Heinrich Anschütz raised the repute of the Burgtheater throughout the German-speaking countries.

The heyday of the old Burgtheater occurred in the second half of the 19 th century when Zerline Gabillon, Joseph Lewinsky, Fritz Krastel or Charlotte Wolter were discovered by the playwright and Burg Director Heinrich Laube. Many of the Burg actors long dominated the German-speaking theatre and helped shape tastes in Viennese society, for example in fashion. The undisputed star of the ensemble was called Charlotte Wolter, who became the epitome of melodramatic, decorative Historicism. The actress Katharina Schratt shows that worship of Burg actors extended to the most elevated social circles - in this case the Emperor himself.

With the demolition of the old Burgtheater and the move to the Ring in 1888, a change in generation followed which opened the Burg up to Modernity. New dramatists such as Ibsen, Hauptmann or Schnitzler appeared in the repertoire. The naturalistic style of staging from Berlin that dominated in the German-speaking countries was not absorbed, yet the realistic mode of performance did eventually gain acceptance in the face of resistance, also thanks to popular exponents of the Viennese dialect such as Hedwig Bleibtreu and Lotte Medelsky.

The history of the Burg was shaped time and again by the smouldering conflict between major stars and the ensemble. In 1894, for example, the writer and critic Hermann Bahr wrote: “The Burg has no ensemble. Everyone acts on his own.” The great individualists around 1900 included Josef Kainz, who perfected the transition to the modern style of performing. By the interwar period Vienna had long lost the status of “city of theatre” to Berlin, with a local competitor that had to be taken seriously added to the mix – the Theatre in the Josefstadt under Max Reinhardt. The outstanding Burg star from the 1930s was Werner Krauß, who however came to symbolise the compromises made with the Nazi regime. Only a few of the actors who had had to flee the National Socialist regime returned to the Burg from emigration, such as Ernst Deutsch or Else Wohlgemuth.

Badly damaged during the war, the Burg reopened in 1955, with the decades that followed including such illustrious names in its ensemble as Josef Meinrad, Gusti Wolf, Attila Hörbirger and last but not least, Paula Wessely. Such eccentrics as Klaus Kinski or Oskar Werner often remained only a short time at the Burgtheater, however. Up to the present day the relationship between the Viennese public and “its” Burg stars remains a special one, which can range from boundless veneration to huffiness, should a Burg star dare to turn his or her back on the “homeland”.

Vienna, March 2012

Hermesvilla, Lainzer Tiergarten, 1130 Vienna

BURG STARS 200 YEARS OF THEATRE CULT

In cooperation with the Burgtheater with the kind support of the Bundestheater Holding

Entrance Fee: 6 EUR / 4 EUR (pensioners, Wien-Card holders, Ö1-Club members, disabled persons, students up to 27, apprentices, military and civilian service conscripts, groups of more than 10 people) Children and youths under 19 – free admission! Every first Sunday in the month for all visitors – free admission!

General Tours: Sunday and public holidays, 2 p.m. Registration for groups: Tel.: (+43 1) 505 87 47- 85180; e-mail: [email protected]

Visitor Information: Tel (+43 1) 505 87 47-0, www.wienmuseum.at; e-mail: [email protected]

Curator: Alexandra Hönigmann-Tempelmayr

Exhibition design, graphics: Olaf Osten

Main Sponsor Wien Museum : Wiener Stadtwerke

Press: Peter Stuiber , Wien Museum Tel (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 84019, Fax (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 7201 e-mail: [email protected]

Barbara Wieser , Wien Museum Tel (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 84068, Fax (+43 1) 505 87 47 - 7201 e-mail: [email protected]