Preparing well is half the battle. A truism – but one that unquestionably applies to Matthew Johnston (21, stunt diver for Wired Aerial Theatre) and Emilio H. Díaz Abregú (42, stunt supervisor in the same group). The two stuntmen are working for Wired Aerial Theatre on the current lake stage production, Der Freischütz.
What’s the popular image of a stuntman? Anyone growing up in the 1980s will very likely have an immediate picture in their mind: Lee Majors as the action hero from the TV series The Fall Guy, a muscle-bound daredevil.
“Our job is to minimise risk”
Emilio and Matthew come over completely differently to what one might expect of stuntmen: reserved, focused, level-headed. And that first impression is not deceptive, as Emilio, who comes from Argentina, confirms when asked about the popular cliché: “It might sound rather boring, but what matters to us is the exact opposite of what people associate with daring stunts. Our most important task is minimising risk.”
The singers in this opera production need to be able to perform certain actions on stage without exposing themselves to any danger. Director Philipp Stölzl is naturally very particular about that. And this, Emilio says, is where the great challenge lies for the crew of Wired Aerial Theatre.
First tests in Liverpool
Three underwater stunts are central to the production. They were rehearsed in advance in a swimming pool in Liverpool, which happens to be where Matthew comes from and where Wired Aerial Theatre is based. Matthew, one of two divers taking part, describes the three big stunts as follows: “We built an approximate structural replica of the set in the swimming pool ‒ there was even a snake. We practised with the stunt team, having them fall into the water with their eyes closed and without a diving mask on and then getting from there to the backstage area underwater with us – and with all their equipment.”
The artists will perform a similar stunt themselves. Ropes will be used to help the performers find their way in the darkness underwater ‒ because, come nightfall, it’s pitch-black down there. And that’s exactly how it needs to be for the spectators not to see through the trick.
A key moment in class
Last year, the stunt team had five weeks to rehearse on the Bregenz lake stage. This time round, in the second year of the production, they had one week less. A fair amount gets changed, also when the directorial team suggests new ideas. “That’s great,” Matthew says, “because that’s when you’re challenged and try to make the impossible possible.”
The team spirit that brings all the departments together here is something very special for the far-travelled Emilio, who comments: “I’ve never experienced anything like it before.” Back home in Argentina, he studied theatre before specialising primarily in technical aspects. He remembers a key moment: “In a lesson on the subject of stage design, the teacher showed us stage sets from Bregenz. I was blown away. I think back then I would never have dreamt of working at a place like that.” Now Emilio has been at Bregenz for nine consecutive years, working as Stunt Supervisor and coordinating the approx. 25-member stunt team.
Weatherproof
For Emilio, the weather was a much more significant factor in Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, the opera on the lake stage in 2019 and 2021, when they had that gigantic balloon to deal with. So long as it’s not too heavy, rain doesn’t make much of a difference for stuntmen – and none at all for divers. During the preparation phase, Emilio and his team were careful that nobody caught a cold. For Matthew, it’s the second year at Lake Constance. To hear him talk and see the light in his eyes, it seems safe to assume that this might not be his final season as stunt diver here.
(tb)
