The production, subtitled "An Invitation to Failure" by Danilo Fioriti, is a loving homage to the power of imagination, a search for meaning in a contradictory world - and a plea for belief in something greater. An evening full of humor, music, melancholy and magic.
It is an image as simple as it is iconic: a vast landscape, parched, two outlines emerge from the shimmering heat, one small and round, the other scrawny and long. Anyone who sees these two knows immediately: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are on their way. Cervantes' novel tells the story of a country nobleman who is not satisfied with reality. Inspired by many chivalric novels, he chooses his neighbor, the vegetable farmer Sancho Panza, as his squire and sets out to make the world a better place as the self-proclaimed knight Don Quixote. They see castles in inns, flocks of sheep become armies and mills become giants. They fight their way from one crazy adventure to the next, failing time and again but never losing heart.
The actors in the troupe putting this play on stage also have to deal with failure. The old leather shoes are scuffed, the rough peasant costumes are baggy and grubby and nobody can afford a real horse or donkey as a mount. Nevertheless, the play has to be performed! The actors stand in for each other when the main character gets injured, take on new perspectives and fight for their version of Don Quixote.
Who could resist the charm of the eternally failing knight of the sad figure? Through his eyes, the audience sees a magnificent castle and the mounted army in the flock of sheep instead of the run-down inn. A change of perspective that allows us to see the familiar in a completely new way. His imagination and unshakeable belief in an ideal world can be a role model. Failure in the face of reality is an opportunity to develop new approaches to solving problems. With the second narrative level of the actors, the Chawwerusch Theater takes up its own beginnings as a traveling theater group with a smile.
Further events
- "Dreamer" - Theater Anu, on Friday and Saturday, 29 and 30 August 2025, both at 9 pm in the Idar-Oberstein city park
- "Carmina Burana & Spark" - overall director Roland Lißmann, on Sunday, September 28, 2025, at 6 p.m. in the Idar-Oberstein Municipal Theater
- The THEATERSOMMER is an event organized by the city of Idar-Oberstein. It is supported by Kreissparkasse Birkenfeld, Effgen Schleiftechnik, OIE AG, the Bürkle Foundation and the Ministry for Family Affairs, Women, Culture and Integration. All information is available at www.idar-oberstein.de/kultur, tickets at www.ticket-regional.de and at the associated advance booking offices. There will be a shuttle service to the castle from 7.15 p.m., departing from opposite the former Reidenbach butcher's shop. If the event has to be postponed due to bad weather, the Stadttheater will be available as an alternative venue.