In front of and behind the scenes

Heike Vieth, Gerlinde Heber and Wolfgang Seim

"School theatre stands and falls with a teacher who is a bit crazy about theatre. It has to be fun for the pupils," says Wolfgang Seim, who organised the first school theatre week 25 years ago. For a quarter of a century, the Chemnitz School Theatre Week has enabled pupils from all over Saxony to perform their plays on the city's big stages. Theatre teacher Heike Vieth, Gerlinde Heber from the Chemnitz City Education Authority and Wolfgang Seim are part of the jury, visit all the theatre groups that apply every year and design the programme together. Shortly before the 25th anniversary of the school theatre week, they tell us in an interview what is special about Chemnitz and how much history the theatre writes.

How did the school theatre week in Chemnitz come about?

Wolfgang Seim: In February 1998, I was called to see the mayor at the time, Berthold Brehm, and he gave me a folder about the Mannheim School Theatre Week. My job was to do something similar for Chemnitz. So I got in touch with the Chemnitz theatres - the doors were open.
We did the first school theatre week just for the Chemnitz students. But on the Friday before the start of the school theatre week, Flöha secondary school persistently contacted the general director - they also wanted to perform. We had previously refused, but were given the task: the grammar school had to perform - with Brecht! Under great time pressure, no experience, but the "Threepenny Opera" was a great success. That was the beginning of opening up the school theatre week to the region; from the second week onwards, the schools in the region were included.

Heike Vieth: Whether the journey is short or long, it is important to perform theatre; to create the conditions for young people to get on stage and perform their plays under professional conditions. We have always wanted to leave it open as to what they perform and what ideas they have for the realisation. So the spectrum is always colourful. We have all types of schools involved, from 6-year-olds to 18 to 20-year-olds and all the theatrical forms that the children and young people come up with.


A theatre group from the twin city of Düsseldorf is also taking part in the 25th School Theatre Week this year. Twelve school theatre groups from the region and from Chemnitz will be performing a total of 13 plays in the Spinnbau in Altchemnitzer Straße. As usual, they were all able to apply using a form that they can download from the school portal and the Chemnitz Theatre website. This gives theatre groups from all types of schools throughout Saxony the opportunity to take part.


Once the applications have been received: What is the next step?

Heike Vieth: Then we arrange an on-site appointment with all the theatre groups. We visit all the schools and look at the scenes that have been created so far or the complete play. The important thing is that we talk to the group and the theatre director in order to identify the actual working conditions. In which rooms and how often do they work, are there rehearsal camps? How is the theatre group supported by the school management? These are important aspects for us to be able to assess the groups.


In addition to Wolfgang Seim, Heike Vieth and Gerlinde Heber, the jury also includes members of the State Office for Schools and Education. These are head teachers: Udo Reinhold as representative for the primary and special schools, Anette Weise for the grammar schools and Sonja Zihang for the secondary schools. Together they will go on the jury tour in December and January and decide which groups will take part in the Chemnitz School Theatre Week. Heike Vieth emphasises: "We are a team. The intensive cooperation with the municipal education authority and the State Office for Schools and Education has existed from the very beginning."


How many schools can take part in the actual week?

Gerlinde Heber: " We haven't decided that. It depends on how long the plays are that the children and young people perform. Then we decide how we can fit everything into the week.

Heike Vieth: Overall, it should be a coherent, varied and exciting programme.


When can the pupils start rehearsing on the big stage?

Heike Vieth: In the theatre, the students only have one preparation session, where they discuss all the details with the stage technology, sound and lighting and check how their play should run on this stage, how the entrances and exits are. This is a very important appointment so that the groups can adjust to the conditions and everyone can express their wishes as to what lighting effects or special features such as fog are required. Our crew is ready for anything in order to lovingly equip these pieces.

Gerlinde Heber: The fascination of being on stage because the lighting, sound and everything is different is enormous, because the conditions in schools are often not so good. The children perform in the classroom, in the basement, in corridors - very few schools have really good conditions for holding theatre rehearsals. We are often amazed at what great plays come out when we see what kind of surroundings they actually have to rehearse in.

Heike Vieth: We have a school here in Chemnitz where the young people play in the corridor. But they assume - and we say this too - that "theatre is possible everywhere". Because the actual theatre is the play and not the set.


Do the theatre groups bring their own props and costumes?

Heike Vieth: Yes, it's quite a lot of work, but these are the things they are familiar with and have practised with. If they still need a table, chairs or larger items, we provide them if possible, but it is important that they play with their own items.


Did the school theatre week take place digitally during the pandemic?

Heike Vieth: Everything was fully prepared in 2020, all the theatre groups were in the starting blocks, but then it was cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2021, we organised an analogue school theatre day, invited the theatre groups, there were workshops, but we didn't perform, we mainly talked because the exchange was important to us. Last year, there was another small three-day school theatre week in the Spinnbau. It was also supposed to take place in March, but was postponed to May due to coronavirus.

Wolfgang Seim: You can see how the school theatre week has survived at Goethe-Gymnasium with "Faust": They were completely finished with their play when the pandemic began. One male and one female pupil - Mephisto and Faust - are taking part this year, even though they have already finished school. We're glad that school theatre hasn't fallen by the wayside during the pandemic. We got through it.

Heike Vieth: But of course we're realising now: The situation is new. We used to have between 20 and 30, sometimes even more than 30 applications, but this year 17 groups have applied. The playing conditions at the school have changed dramatically, or simply nothing worked at all. Everything that was supposed to be digital was very, very difficult. There were also digital pieces, but there is no comparison and it is not the aim to play digitally at all.

Gerlinde Heber: The interaction is important for the children, they need to experience this tactile experience. They tell us that they like it better when they can see each other.


What do you want for school theatre in the future?

Gerlinde Heber : The aim of the theatre and of us as a jury is to include drama in the timetable. Theatre is an important form of learning where a lot of creativity can be encouraged. That's why we work closely with the State Office for Schools and Education. The theatre groups don't just exist as study groups, they are also all-day activities, with school classes that have included them in the curriculum. This is absolutely good, appreciative work for the children. We would very much like to see this happen in all schools.

Wolfgang Seim: The game promotes social skills to a great extent. You can see that personalities grow with the game. When groups are involved over several years, you can see how some children and young people outgrow themselves.

Heike Vieth: The theatre group leaders or the parents confirm this: that suddenly a child or young person behaves differently on stage, suddenly comes out of their shell, speaks, dances or does things that were previously unthinkable. Young people develop because they can experience themselves anew in a different role, a different situation, in a different relationship. This should not be limited to groups, but should be an experience that many pupils or, if possible, all pupils should be able to have. In some federal states, performing arts is taught as a subject; it has not yet been introduced in Saxony, but we are fighting for it.