It's a sense of achievement when the Chemnitz team comes to us

Evelyn & Rolf Esche

"Something should be done about this," thought a handful of people in 2009 as they stood in front of the weathered Küchwaldbühne stage. And, as befits true doers, they didn't stop there. The euphoria surrounding the stage is still infectious today: the Verein zur Förderung der Küchwaldbühne e.V. now has over 50 members. Many of them come after work and spend their free time with their partners and children on the project, which is a matter close to their hearts. And many visitors, who themselves have memories of the great Karl-Marx-Stadt open-air cinema, come back today with their children and grandchildren and are enthusiastic. Evelyn and Rolf Esche are one family who have been part of this journey almost from the very beginning.

What do you associate with the "old" Küchwaldbühne?
Rolf Esche: In the mid-1970s, we saw a lot of interesting films at the Küchwaldbühne. They were shown in 70 millimetre and that was a tremendous experience. The picture, sound and the 480 square metre screen were gigantic.

How did the idea of renovating the Küchwaldbühne come about?
Rolf Esche: The basic idea was to revive the historic building and the easiest way to do that was probably with a children's theatre. It was an offer to the people of Chemnitz. And they came. We initially agreed a trial run and then the city of Chemnitz offered us a contract for five years. We had to clarify everything concerning the auditorium in advance: Bird protection, tree protection, noise protection and monument protection. We gradually overcame these hurdles, prepared the auditorium for 500 people and continued to improve it.

How long have you been building the Küchwaldbühne with the association?
Rolf Esche: My wife and I have been involved since 2010. It came about through my granddaughter. She was in the theatre group and said: "Grandpa, they need someone from the building site." And we've been building ever since. First on the auditorium and the stage and later on the buildings at the front that make up the ensemble from the 1950s.

What memories do you have of 20 August 2010, when the Küchwaldbühne was brought back to life with the performance of "Momo" after 18 years of "Sleeping Beauty"?
Rolf Esche: It was a dream because we didn't know how it would turn out. We tried to find a play with our association founder, Werner Haas, and he came up with "Momo". It was very successful. The play is set in a ruin and we had found a ruin here. And the memory of our honorary member Addi Jacobi sitting in the front row at the premiere with tears in his eyes remains unforgettable.

How is the response from the people of Chemnitz? Are the performances well attended?
Rolf Esche: The performances are very differently attended. We have a joint project with the municipal theatre - "Pippi Longstocking" - which runs for four weeks. We have literally rented it out to the theatre, are helping to shape it and have noticed that it is very popular with visitors. It's not quite as high for our own productions, but you have to be very satisfied with every performance at 50, 60, 70 per cent capacity.

How many events take place at the Küchwaldbühne?
Evelyn Esche: We have 53 events this year, including twelve performances of our own production "Räuber Hotzenplotz". All other theatre performances at the Küchwaldbühne are guest performances. Our theatre group has been rehearsing at the Salvation Army since December. Incidentally, we are always on the lookout for rehearsal rooms and the Salvation Army provides us with this space and in return we are allowed to attend our performances - a give and take. When the weather is fine in March/April, rehearsals begin on stage.
The performance year began on 30 April with the Walpurgis Night of "Faust". This was also one of our own productions. With music, a fire show, catering and all the trimmings. This event was very well attended. We had a lot of spectators. The pumpkin festival, also an in-house production, marks the end of the play year. Pumpkins are carved, there's pumpkin soup, stories, songs, dancing and music on stage. Then, at the beginning of November, there is the Volkssolidarität festival of light.

Are there many enquiries about hiring the Küchwaldbühne?
Rolf Esche: We would like to have more enquiries, but we don't accept them at random. We also look at our own interests. We have three or four people who make sure that guest performances can take place and who look after these events. There is someone who looks after jazz or the three-day Slackfest, which was brought in by the Cosmonaut Centre. Then someone looks after the cabaret festival at the beginning of August, the Saxon Mozart Society, the theatre friends - such as the Fritz Theatre - and the Musical Mobil for children.

For 35 years, the two have been publicly active as monument conservators with their own business. They have overcome the bureaucratic hurdles described above and have never lost sight of their goal - to breathe life back into the theatre, even if a project like this takes a lot of time.

Rolf Esche: My wife keeps a diary of the work we have to do to earn money. We spend between 30 and 40 per cent of our working time on the Küchwaldbühne alone.

That takes a lot of enthusiasm. Where does that come from?
Rolf Esche: It's not just us, but all of our colleagues who are passionate about the stage and can't get away from it. It's simply a sense of achievement when the people of Chemnitz, especially the children, come and watch the plays, clap their hands and enjoy themselves. That has always driven us all to keep doing it properly.

It all sounds very costly. How is the Küchwaldbühne financed?
Rolf Esche: We have several pillars. The first is monument preservation, from which we receive funding. Then we have monetary donations and donations in kind. The monetary donations are declared very precisely. Donations for the restoration of the buildings and the stage or their operation. That's how we divide them up. Other donations are for stage equipment, props and technology. That's quite normal. We can't survive on the performances or guest appearances alone. We also receive support from sponsors. The main sponsors are GGG, enviaM and Freie Presse. But we also have many other companies that support us. The main thing is: Companies from Chemnitz help us with the construction and design of the entire stage with contributions in kind. We can rely on 30 to 40 companies.
Evelyn Esche: We are always trying to find new ideas for further restoration work. For example, we need benches. We have calculated how much money is needed and these benches can now be sponsored by Chemnitz citizens, companies, associations, parties and private individuals. One metre of bench costs 125 euros. Supporters receive two signs for "their" bench, can attend one of our events and are invited to the sponsor event. This campaign has been very well received. We now have 12,000 euros in "bank income" and sponsor forms keep coming in, which you can print out from the homepage www.kuechwaldbuehne.info.

Is there a date when you want to be finished with the restoration?
Rolf Esche: This is an ongoing process. At one of its last meetings, the board decided that we would enter into a ten-year contract with the city of Chemnitz. During this time, we will lease the Küchwaldbühne site and rent the buildings for a symbolic amount. Is a project like the Küchwaldbühne easier to organise in Chemnitz than in other cities?
Evelyn Esche: You need the ambience and have to comply with all the guidelines, such as noise levels and nature conservation. That's not easy anywhere.

What advice would you give to people who want to set up similar projects in Chemnitz?
Rolf Esche : In the play "Momo", there is a street sweeper who says: "I can only sweep the street if I do it bit by bit." That is a kind of guiding principle for us. We can only do it bit by bit. In the first year, we cut down trees and sat on the roots, then took out the roots and put up benches. You have to take it in small steps. And it works the same way with buildings. If someone says: "I need 200,000 euros" - you can't get that in one year. You have to make three discs and be patient.

Have you never thought about quitting?
Rolf Esche: I wouldn't say never. But it doesn't matter at the moment.

What else can we look forward to?
Rolf Esche : During the summer holidays, the Musical Mobil from Leipzig is here to present fairy tales. They are two or three actors - usually two - who play ten or twelve roles, only need a curtain and entertain the children wonderfully by singing. It's almost always fully booked, a real highlight. We also organise our theatre camp again at the beginning of August. Ten children can take part and are then accommodated in a school hostel for a week. They rehearse a play with the Fritz Theatre and perform it on stage at the end. Parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and friends are invited to the performance. Last year, it was great to see how quickly and skilfully a castle play about Rabenstein Castle was created. And after the collaboration with the theatre this year and the play "Pippi Longstocking", "Robin Hood" will be performed next year. "Robin Hood" is set in the forest and fits in very well with the Küchwaldbühne.

Rolf Esche is a true Chemnitz or Karl-Marx-Stadt native. His wife has lived in the city for 38 years. Plenty of time to explain what makes Chemnitz so special.

Rolf Esche: Chemnitz is a former industrial city that has reorientated itself towards culture and sport, I would say in a nutshell. And culture is not bad in Chemnitz. I used to follow theatre life here back in the day. Many actors who now play on the big stages in Leipzig or Berlin come from here. It's great when you hear the names of those who were all once in Chemnitz or Karl-Marx-Stadt. A good theatre forge!

Our standard question at the end: Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz to embrace their city?
Rolf Esche: Absolutely. The term "City of Modernity" should have been explained better. Only a few people can relate to it. The people of Chemnitz need to be told what it means. That we have more modernist architecture than almost any other city. That's something to be proud of.