The speeches at the opening ceremony of the Bad Hersfeld Festival on Friday were dominated by questions of power, the relationship between men and women and the role of art. Tina Lanik’s staging of Shakespeare’s drama “King Lear”, which was due to be staged later in the evening, was awaited with particular anticipation because the director cast a woman in the role of the king, who is regarded as the prime example of a patriarch: the actress Charlotte Schwab. “I think that’s a very exciting idea,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) at the ceremony in the monastery ruins. “Because it broadens our view of the topic of women and power.”
Women in leadership positions in politics and business have to prove more often than men that they are not afraid of power and are willing to make tough decisions, Faeser said. The Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) emphasized the task of culture to make current political and social developments visible. Festival director Joern Hinkel said with regard to “King Lear” that the play is about a “difficult and wonderful topic: family”.
The next premiere at the festival is just one day after the opening: the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” will be performed on Saturday (9 p.m.). In addition, “The Dead Poets Society”, “The Bat’s Revenge” and “The Little Ghost” will be shown at the festival this summer (until August 27).
