The Luzerner Theater has a new artistic director. Benedikt von Peter was born in Germany and grew up near the city of Köln. He studied German philosophy, musicology, law and singing. He has had a rich and varied career and directed plays at the Hamburg Staatsoper, as well as in Heidelberg, Frankfurt am Main, Basel and Hannover. Most recently he worked in Bremen and won the Kurt-Hübner-Prize for his work as a director and his opera programme. This season is his first season at the Luzerner Theatre.
He already made a big impact when he tore out the seats from the ground floor and turned the theatre into a mini version of the Globe. He has also taken the theatre out of the theatre by putting on performances in the Viscose and in the “Box” on the theatre square.
Despite a very busy schedule, Benedikt von Peter visited us on a grey day at the LiLi Centre and sat down for a coffee and a chat with us about his work and what he loves about Luzern.
The Interview:
What convinced you to come to Lucerne to work at the Luzerner Theater?
it’s a long story, I started to work in Berlin at the age of 26 as a director and was doing 2 productions a year. I was learning by doing. I became a theatre teacher for 5 years on the side, which was an amazing place to enable other directors to be creative without fear. That way art gets better.
I then went to Bremen for 2 and a half years and worked there in a different environment where many forms of theatre are being offered. To create an artistic concept over several years, in another way then in a big theatre “machine”.
I was invited by the Luzerner Theater to be interviewed as an artistic director. It took only 3 hours of discussion for me to decide that I wanted to work here.
Lucerne is a very special place with an international level of culture, many theatre groups, and a mix of locals and tourist who come here for the culture.
One of your first act as artistic director was to tear the seats of the ground floor out in order to give the audience a new perspective onto the shows. What drove you to do that?
The way theatre is portrayed nowadays is very much that the audience is sitting in the dark looking up at someone who “knows more” than them, who is in the role of teacher. Very similar to how children and students are taught. You do not question the authority of the person who is at the front, telling you what to think. But it wasn’t always this way.
Pierre Boulez ideas are that you are a community, you share your values, your texts, your music. This way the society building quality of theatre is much more present.
For example Prometeus is a super complicated music and the usual presentation makes it something difficult to approach. We put down a wooden floor, people were sitting on a mattress listening to ultra-modern music for 2 and a half hours and it wasn’t a problem. It unleashed the inner child in the audience. It changes the perception of literature and art completely. You are not fixed in one place. It is a much more physical experience.
The experience only last 5 weeks but was super successful with 11 000 people coming to see our shows. The good news is that the Globe experience will come back next year.
We are also taking the theatre out of this building into the Viscose, the Jesuiten Church, the Box.
You are democratising theatre how is the audience reacting.
Very well, we are mixing theatre forms, with different audiences and communicating with them and allowing them to communicate with each other and us.
Is your theatre really also for the international residents?
We have over 14 nationalities in our ensemble, so we are a very international house and art is a universal language
Were you expecting Luzern to be such an international city?
Luzern is a small city, it feels Mediterranean and warm hearted. I find it interesting that there are such different worlds like Meggen and Baselstrasse. People are prepared and arrive on time, which professionally is wonderful.
How do you see the future of the theatre scene in Luzern? Can we bring it to the international level of our music scene?
Theatre is about regional identity, we want to be in touch with the locals. The aim is to have an international aura but remain regional. Global art is not my thing. To be together in a room with live actors is a unique experience.
What do you like about living in Luzern?
I love that I can use my bike everywhere, distance are short. I like to live in a calmer city than Berlin. I like the lake and the nature. I like the people, they are friendly, curious and recognise quality. They are not snob.
Are there things that surprised you here?
The Swiss have another way of communicating then Germany. I was surprised by the political structure, if you want to learn about democracy then you should come to Switzerland.
The quality of the food is wonderful too!
Any tips for newcomers?
Talk to the people and listen.
What about creative people?
They should join our side programmes, go to the Viscose Stadt which is now the creative part of the city.
Which production would an international resident go and see?
This winter is traditional theatre but still very exciting. After Fasnacht there will be a big musical project with students who will live in the theatre for 2 weeks and create their own production.
Quick questions:
Favourite thing to do in Luzern:
Be in my apartment….
Because?
I’m not there very often.
Your favourite place to go?
The Bodu Brasserie, it feels like a being in France.
Ideal weekend:
It can be so varied, a wedding, at home or at work
What do you do to recharge?
Qi Gong and Massage and sleep.
Can you say something in Swiss German?
Isch Guet so?
Go to the theatre’s website to catch their programme. This weekend is the premiere of their new ballet: Tanz 23: Kind des Olymps. Be sure to book early as their shows sell out quite quickly!
