Lights, Curtain, Action! Open-air Theater Heidenheim

CODE: IBG 02

Project: Lights, Curtain, Action! Are you ready to take part in the building of a
Theater?
Your host will the Open-Air Theatre Heidenheim, the 2nd largest one of its kind in Southern
Germany. It is situated on the “castle hill” of the town of Heidenheim an der Brenz,
surrounded by forests, and can accommodate up to 1100 spectators.
The Open-Air Theatre is run by a non-profit association and they are very excited about
hosting again a group of international volunteers. This project is perfect for everyone who is
interested in theatres and wants to have a look behind the scenes! Have a look at the
Theatre here: www.naturtheater.de
The association was first founded by Gustav Müller over 100 years ago, after the first World
War, in his quest of dedicating his life to something that would unite people: art. In 1919 not
only did Müller materialize this idea, but also managed to host several productions at the
concert hall.
Nowadays, with over 500 members of all ages, the Naturtheater Heidenheim association is
one of the popular organizations in the city of Heidenheim and its surrounding area.
Work:
This year, you will help with the set construction. During 2025, 2 plays will be performed (The
Three Musketeers, an adventure play that tells the story of the young d'Artagnan, who joins
the French king's musketeers and fights with them against intrigue, rivalry and danger- and
Alice im Wunderland, a surrealist theatre piece that depicts the adventures of young Alice in
a fantastical land where she encounters bizarre creatures) the stage needs to be renewed
accordingly: In the end, the scenery is supposed to suit both plays– a very interesting and
challenging task! You will screw, nail, and paint. Smaller props will need to be built, too.
Apart from that, your work will also entail doing:
Installing a wooden floor in the prop garage.

Renewing the cover of the small wooden shelf storage.

Painting service huts
Support stage construction
Clean, repair + paint fence around the perimeter of the site
Paint hall walls

Clean the stones around the cold hall with a high-pressure cleaner, replace/refill grit if necessary.
And some other tasks as needed! Be sure to be always prepare to lend a helping hand. There will be a professional work instructor who helps you with all tasks. For sure it is helpful though, if you have a bit of experience in manual/constructional work and have used tools like cordless screwdrivers before.
Location: Heidenheim an der Brenz is a town with a bit less than 50.000 inhabitants in the southern
region of Baden-Württemberg. The area is rather rural with a beautiful countryside: since it is
at the end of the Swabian Albs – a mountain range of about 220km-, there are many hills and
forests. Also in the town you will find the Hellenstein Castle, first built on the 12th century,
and wildlife park with around 100 animals, very close to your project. If you would like to visit a larger town, you may go to Ulm which is only 30km away. Stuttgart and Munich are just about 2 hours by train.
Accomodation:
You will be accommodated directly on the project side: Next to the stage, there is huge building for administration, a workshop, a café … here you will have one big room for yourselves, showers, and a kitchen. Mind that there is only one big room for sleeping available to all volunteers – no separation possible! Regarding food, you will be asked to cook for yourselves, and carry out all related activities (grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning after yourselves).
NEXT AIRPORTS: Stuttgart, Memmingen, Munich
NEXT TRAIN STATION: Heidenheim a. d. Brenz
Meeting point: directly at the accommodation. The path between the place where you will stay and the train station is about 2kms long, so it should take you about 20 mins to get there.