There are only a few weeks to go before Samiel the Devil returns to haunt the Wolf’s Ravine, Max casts magic bullets in desperation, and Agathe eagerly awaits the arrival of her lover. On 17 July, Der Freischütz returns for its second run on the Bregenz lake stage. Rehearsals began today, Wednesday, for the whole cast, with Max Koch and Daniel Hackenberg in attendance ‒ the assistant directors and stage managers of each performance on the lake.
In June and July last year, Max Koch and Daniel Hackenberg got together with director Philipp Stölzl and the soloists, stunt performers and stage technicians to work out every detail of the lake stage production. In close collaboration with the director, Max Koch served as the "memory of the production": in the thick production book, which all assistant directors always carry with them during rehearsals, he meticulously noted down all the instructions, agreements and minutiae of the production by hand and documented the entire staging process. "This summer, I'm responsible for the revival of the opera, recreating it in line with director Philipp Stölzl's vision," Max says. During the theatre season, he is engaged as an assistant director at the Frankfurt Opera, regularly assists at the Bavarian State Opera, supervises revivals, and increasingly is putting on productions of his own.
Daniel Hackenberg, who has been involved in every production on the Bregenz lake stage since Andrea Chénier in 2012, pulls the strings in the background. In close consultation with Max, who is usually on stage alongside director Philipp Stölzl, Daniel operates in the seating area, coordinating what the cast, stunt performers, technicians and the set and décor managers need. He organises modifications to the set and responds to unforeseen circumstances, be it a missing prop or an additional monitor needed by the conductor in a particular scene. His job is to make possible whatever proves necessary in the course of rehearsals – doing so safely, quickly and precisely.
After stints at the Vienna State Opera and in occupational health management, Daniel now works in management consultancy. This gives him more time for his family, something that is scarcely possible for people who work full-time in the arts. The lake stage has remained, the only invariable in his artistic activity. "It's a different world," Daniel says. "And yet there are parallels: planning, communication, psychological intuition."
Structure and freedom
In the theatre, it's common for directors not to be present continuously during revivals. In Bregenz, Max and Daniel will act as Philipp Stölzl's deputies in the weeks to come, both organisationally and in artistic terms. "In a sense, we are the advocates of his ideas here and liaise closely with him," Daniel says.
On the lake stage, one role is shared by up to three singers. One person simply wouldn't be able to manage 27 performances within just under five weeks. But how does it work in the second year of a production? Do all those who return still know what to do? "Some don't remember a thing, others turn up as if barely a night had passed," says Max, and Daniel adds: "There are also new singers who weren't here last summer. Max and I will work on the roles with them step by step over the next three weeks."
In the Freischütz production, the singers wade knee-deep in water, battling with the wind and the great distances to be covered on the huge open-air stage. But at the same time, they are expected to perform with such precision and authenticity that the emotional subtleties of a chamber drama can still be felt even on Lake Constance.
"Communication, trust and clarity are the be-all and end-all in our work with the singers," Max says. "Some of them need a clear structure, others thrive on freedom." The Freischütz on the lake only works if there is a balance between structure and spontaneity. "Our task is to embed all the performers in a system that remains open and dependable at the same time." Philipp Stölzl attaches great importance to the singers not only fulfilling their roles, but also making them their own, Max emphasises. "We want everyone to create their roles in a way that makes sense for them – within the framework of the concept, of course."
"Like learning to ride a bike"
The two Freischütz assistant directors give the performers technical support and emotional confidence, help them with their parts, and assist the three sopranos singing the role of Agathe, for instance by making their aria in the second act credible and powerfully expressive despite the long walk up the high hill on the set. "We make sure that the singers feel completely safe; then they can sing and act with real freedom," says Daniel. "But sometimes, when things could get dangerous, we also say very clearly: Stop!" The two of them laugh. "Actually, we're like parents: We encourage the singers to try things out in this unusual space – and draw boundaries when it gets too risky. Just like mum and dad do when the children are learning to ride a bike," says Daniel with a wink.
The wind, the weather and the water help create unique moments on the lake stage – and are also the production's main adversaries. "A rehearsal out here is a lot more arduous than in an opera house," says Daniel. The physical effort, the technology, the weather, the space to be navigated – everything is bigger, more complex, more demanding. The second run offers the opportunity to make the production more focused and to go deeper. "It's the same Freischütz as last year, but perhaps more mature and consequently even more alive."
Even though their work usually goes on behind the scenes, assistant directors are the backbone of every production. "If we do our job well, nobody will know we were there," says Daniel. "But what really counts are those human moments. For example, when we can intuitively help a singer in a difficult situation; when a soloist without looking reaches for the right prop because we prepared them precisely and patiently beforehand. When singers – such as the three Gildas in the Rigoletto balloon in 2019/21 – dare to do something they've never dared to do before, because they know there's someone looking out for them. The lake stage is about trust, respect as well as the awareness of working together on something that's greater than each individual."
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