‘Faust’ rejuvenated > The Goetheanum Stage is performing Goethe’s ‘Faust Parts 1 and 2’

Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland, 1 July 2022

The Goetheanum Stage presents ‘Faust Parts 1 and 2’ this summer in a nine-hour staging directed by Andrea Pfaehler. It is the third year for this production, but the first without Covid restrictions. Many young performers are part of the ensemble.

Mephisto promises that “As soon as you trust yourself, you begin to live.” More than the witches’ potion, it is this self-affirmation that rejuvenates and throws open the door to the world and to love. The ‘Faust’ project ensemble at the Goetheanum has chosen this statement as its motto.

Outwardly, this means that 20-year old actors have been cast for the parts of Gretchen, Helena, Lieschen, Valentin and Wagner. Andrea Pfaehler, who is the director of ‘Faust’ at the Goetheanum, has recruited these young people from her youth drama group ‘Junge Bühne’. This means that three generations are involved in this production, with Urs Bihler, one of the four Mephistos, celebrating his 78th birthday this year. Johann Wolfgang Goethe took 70 years to complete the Faust tragedy, covering a hundred-year life story. The breadth of this life should also be seen on stage.

Inwardly, rejuvenation means that the scenes follow dynamically on from one another and focus on the essence of the narrative.

‘Faust’ at the Goetheanum is an ongoing project. Every year, many parts of the tragedy are corrected, refined and newly realized. Every year, the ‘Faust’ material meets with a different reality. “This year, the ghostly armies conjured up by the devil in the war are oppressively poignant,” says literary adviser Wolfgang Held, adding that “With ‘Faust’, those involved seek the encounter and dialogue with anyone interested in culture and the Goetheanum claims its place in the cultural life of Northwestern Switzerland.”
(1761 characters/WH; English by Margot M. Saar)

Performances (in German)
8 to 10 July 2022, with a programme provided by the General Anthroposophical Section
15 to 17 July 2022 (also in French), with a programme provided by the Section for the Performing Arts
23 to 24 July 2022, no additional programme

Contact person Wolfgang Held