To get in the mood for the evening event, 20 people met in the foyer of the Theater Uri for a cultural and historical tour. Dr. Thomas Brunner, Uri's heritage conservationist, gave a guided tour of the Tellspielhaus, explaining not only the history of its origins, the Tell plays and the myth of Tell, but also its special architectural features. The Theater Uri is probably the only theater whose stage can be reached by a horse ramp.
Following the guided tour, Barbara Bär, President of the Tellspielgesellschaft Altdorf, and Prof. Dr. Roland Norer, Head of the Institute Cultures of the Alps, welcomed around 40 visitors to the evening program in the Zeughaus. The evening, like the Tellspiel 2024, discussed the relationship between liberation and revenge.
The first input presentation focused on the historical perspective of the Uri myth. Prof. Dr. Boris Previšić, Head of the Institute Cultures of the Alps, standing in for Prof. Dr. Valentin Groebner, who was ill, explained that Tell was not a freedom fighter, but merely the main character of a compelling story. An agent who, long before Schiller and Altdorf, was repeatedly presented in new and different ways for his own cause. Prof. Dr. Klaus Mathis, University of Lucerne, examined the tyrannicide from the perspective of legal philosophy. In Schiller's “Wilhelm Tell”, the question of justified resistance was central. Tell argued that his assassination could not be compared with that of Parricida, as he only wanted to protect himself and his family. From today's perspective, however, both would have been convicted under criminal law, according to Mathis. In the last lecture of the evening, director Annette Windlin shared some thoughts on this year's production. She also focused on the question of whether there is a better and a worse murderer. However, unlike Schiller, Windlin deliberately left this question unanswered in the hope of triggering something in the audience.
The subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Previšić and supplemented by Chiara Zgraggen, a participant in Tellspiel 24, focused in particular on the fact that some traditionally male roles were taken on by women in this year's performance. Zgraggen, who appeared on stage as Melchtalerin, emphasized that the production was not explicitly feminist in character; rather, the most suitable person was simply cast for each role. Windlin also explained that it is irrelevant to the story whether a role is played by a man or a woman, but ideally this has an impact on the audience. Both the evening and Tell24 came to a lively conclusion with wishes for the 2028 production and an aperitif.
Published on 29. October 2024
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