The following article provides a vivid example of international interconnectedness, ‘backstage’. I examine how one of Vienna’s largest opera houses, the ‘Vienna People’s Opera’ (Volksoper) works together with operas and theatres in other countries and parts of the world through international performances, maintaining international links both in and outside of Europe. I suggest that such ‘behind the scenes’ activities are an example for an interconnected system and cultural exchange in an area which most people do not think of when speaking about international relations and an ever more interconnected international environment.
Vienna is known as the capital of music and is recognised internationally for highest standards in musical entertainment. The Volksoper is one of Vienna’s largest theatres for operetta, opera, musicals, and ballet. Opened in 1898 as the ‘Kaiser-Jubiläums-Stadttheater’ (‘Emperor’s Jubilee Theatre’), it has a history dating back over more than a hundred years. Annually, around 36 different productions can be seen in almost 300 performances in the repertoire theatre. From Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ to Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’ and Wagner’s ‘The Flying Dutchman’, the ballet ‘Coppélia’ by Pierre Lacotte, various musicals, as well as operetta classics such as Johann Strauss’ ‘Die Fledermaus’ or ‘A Night in Venice’ and Emmerich Kálmán’s ‘The Csárdásprincess’[1], the Volksoper is a stunning example of Vienna’s exceptionally diverse and top-class music scene.
Over the past years, the Volksoper has established a remarkable set of connections and co-productions with other theatres and operas, both within Europe and internationally. I had the great opportunity to interview Mr André Gaugusch, a jurist from the legal department of the Volksoper, who provided me with more detailed information and invaluable insights into the Volksoper’s manifold international activities[2].
The Volksoper engages in co-productions, guest performances, as well as renting out of costumes, decors, and scenery. Mr Gaugusch provided me with a concrete list of international engagements of the Volksoper over the past years.
| Co-productions | Monte-Carlo/Opera Wallonie Theatre Bonn, Germany Bayrisches Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz, Germany Opera Frankfurt, Germany State operetta Dresden, Germany Theatre Chemnitz, Germany Staatsoper Hannover, Germany Washington National Opera, USA and Deutsche Oper Berlin, Germany Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, UK |
| Guest performances | Versailles, France Brno, Czech Republic Savonlinna, Finland Tokyo, Japan St. Petersburg, Russia Turin, Italy Munich, Germany Basel, Switzerland |
| Rent/selling of equipment internationally | St Gallen, Switzerland Hamburg, Germany Athens, Greece Bucharest, Romania Florence, Italy Trieste, Italy Győr, Hungary Mannheim, Germany And a collaboration between the Volksoper, Nürnberg and Lübeck, Germany, and Göteborg, Sweden |
I learn from Mr Gaugusch that connections between the operas and theatres are established in various ways. One major platform to establish connections in Europe is through ‘Opera Europa’, a non-profit cultural organisation for professional opera companies and opera festivals throughout Europe, comprised of over 200 member companies from 43 different countries[3].
‘Members pay a membership fee, and the platform provides a database of production plans. One can get in contact with different members through this network. Perhaps it can be compared to a market place for co-productions and guest performances. Usually, there are about two conferences every year, where one has the opportunity to exchange ideas and speak about common topics.’
Yet Mr Gaugusch tells me his impression and experience is that most connections are established in an informal and more casual manner. He explains how connections are made between the operas and theatres, and how coordination and collaboration takes place.
‘I think the main way to establish connections is through people and staff. Often, directors, artists, and production designers travel and work at different operas and theatres abroad. Many know each other and their international colleagues. Some have agencies, but some simply rely on personal connections made in the process. I do not want to use the phrase “Everybody knows everybody”, but to a large extent, we are interconnected through people.
An additional factor is our personal travel. Most of us are passionate about opera and theatre, and even when we travel privately to another city or country, we like to visit performances there.
I can give you an example, a few years ago we performed “Sweeney Todd” by Stephen Sondheim. If you are familiar with the play, you will know that is a story about a barber who murders various victims. As the idea of producing “Sweeney Todd” first came up, our director, only having seen the film version of it, was not very fond of the idea. He said “over my dead body” is he going to have it performed in our opera house. But then discussions went on, and after attending a performance of “Sweeney Todd” at London’s Westend, he changed his opinion and the piece was indeed performed here with us in Vienna. The director even ended up starring as one of the murdered victims. So, indeed, it was eventually performed “over his dead body”!
My point is, things are brought here through a cultural exchange that happens on various levels. Furthermore, if we have already worked with one foreign opera or theatre, we already have a relationship with them and can again discuss co-productions and exchanges.’
But before a cooperation can be established, preparatory work is needed. Mr Gaugusch explains that certain details and key factors need to be clarified in advance, to determine whether a collaboration is possible. This involves visits from and to other theatres and opera houses, and lengthy conversations and exchanges between technical teams, production designers, and directors.
Of course, it is easier to connect to theatres and operas in Europe.
‘The exchange requires a large investment of time, money, and efforts. We have to consider multiple factors. First of all, it simply isn’t possible to co-produce with any theatre, one has to consider how others frame their performances. For example, if one opera house follows a different concept towards staging and audience development, there will be little we can work on together… and of course, most importantly, technical and practical details. How big is their scene, what kind of special effects are possible elsewhere? In such cases, we exchange stage plans or the technical departments connect and speak to each other. Only when we know that the overall pre-conditions are given, can we engage in further discussions about how to collaborate.’
One factor which makes collaborations with countries such as Germany and Switzerland slightly easier appears to be the common language. Since the Volksoper, literally meaning ‘people’s opera’, is supposed to be accessible to the broad Austrian public, most of the performances are, of course, in German (although an English subtitle-translation for international guests is usually provided during performances). Hence, when performing in or together with other German-speaking countries, a translation of both text and musical lyrics is not necessary, which can save considerable efforts.
Yet even in the German-speaking countries, there can be certain cultural differences. These are certainly minor compared to other parts of the world, but adjustments need to be made:
‘For example, if in an operetta a certain character speaks in a dialect from, say, Saxony, it would be necessary to adjust this to some kind of Austrian dialect, e.g. from Western parts of Austria or similar.’
Of course, performances outside of Europe more generally, and especially outside of the European Union (EU), are much more difficult. Not only does language need to be adjusted, but many other factors and practicalities must be taken into account.
‘The Schengen area has made the exchange significantly easier. Transportation of costumes, sceneries, decorations and so on, is much less problematic while in the EU. Of course, one needs documents, but crossing borders rarely causes trouble. And the common laws in the EU make many things much easier to undertake and execute.’
But even in the European area, many areas of the law are still shaped nationally, for instance copyrights and author’s rights.
‘You would be surprised what oddities one can encounter. We currently have our own ballet performance of “Peter Pan”. Now usually, in copyright law, there is a certain period after the author’s death, after which everyone can use their work without major restrictions. Thus, after a certain time, usually about 70 years or so, the work is no longer protected. In the case of “Peter Pan”, the author of course is long dead. Yet British law has a very specific provision, I like to call it the “Lex Peter Pan”. According to this legal provision, “Peter Pan” is an eternally protected work. For charitable purposes, a certain amount of money needs to be paid to a children’s hospital every time the work is used. Now in Austria this law does not apply, yet it is something we, as a legal department, need to look at when dealing with such a work… you never know what hidden provisions might potentially apply…’
As for the show, ‘Peter Pan’ is in fact a wonderful ballet production by the Volksoper itself, designed very well for young audiences. Mr Gaugusch says that a foreign ballet house, which was searching for a ballet show suitable for children, has already approached the Volksoper and the two operas are discussing a collaboration.
And while regulations such as the ‘Lex Peter Pan’ may be an exception in Europe, indeed, in EU law issues such as worker protection or security standards such as fire protection regulations, are more unitary and standardised. But as Mr Gaugusch explains, this does not always mean that one is safe from troubles and that nothing can go wrong.
‘We had a co-production with a European theatre, where fire is involved in the show. Our co-production partner manufactured the stage set and the equipment and even performed with it several times. We have extremely strict regulations regarding fire safety here in Austria, and we made very clear how the parts need to be crafted so that we can work with them here in our theatre. What happened? We rehearsed and suddenly some parts caught fire. It was not dangerous or dramatic, but still, it was certainly not funny. This just shows that it can be difficult to coordinate when the regulations or conditions are different.’
‘Certainly, outside of Europe, it is even more complicated’, says Mr Gaugusch. Yet he explains that nonetheless, the Viennese Volksoper is continuously making efforts to engage in exchanges outside of the European area.
‘For many years, we have performed in Japan. We have had several guest performances there. The genre of Viennese operetta is particularly popular among the Japanese audiences, and this is something we specialise in, thus the frequent exchange.’
Another major partner are Russian operas and theatres, especially in the field of ballet performances. Yet while these performances are seemingly in closer geographical proximity, it appears they, too, require massive efforts. Mr Gaugusch showed me an example of a performance contract between the Volksoper in Vienna and an opera house in Russia. It was remarkable how even the smallest details needed to be regulated. The contract contained provisions about transport, precise days of leaving and entering the country, including the exact time of arrival in St Petersburg. Furthermore, the contract specified the staff to be provided by the Volksoper, how many dancers were to be provided by the Russian opera, with various annexes clarifying how tall or short singers had to be for the costumes to fit and the performance to be authentic.
‘Next to travel costs, accommodation, visas, insurance, another major point to consider related to staff is medical care. Of course there are doctors abroad where we travel, but we usually try to bring a personal doctor with us, just in case. And we also aim to bring our own medications, certainly not for every member of staff individually, but at least some basic supply for everyone. This can amount to two large suitcases of medicines… now imagine taking these across the border every time… various documents are needed and it is not always easy.’
In general, the contracts for co-productions and guest performances are incredibly complex. Staff arrangement are only one aspect. Many pages are also filled with specifications of technical arrangements. Component parts and special effects are listed and explained. Furthermore, financial provisions regulate which costs must be borne by either party, and who is responsible for certain kinds of costs.
‘A highly important issue are insurances. For example, insurances for damages of equipment parts during the transportation. This year, for example, we have a premiere of the operetta “König Karotte” [“King Carrot”] by Jacques Offenbach. The performance involves real armours, which are produced by one of our international partner operas, and are very expensive, they cost several thousand Euros. Well, imagine the call with our insurance company: “Hello, we would like to insure a couple of armours, please.” – The insurance agent’s first reaction was “Excuse me?”. It sounds absurd, but these are things one needs to consider.’
Collaborations can also be very time-consuming, especially as even when details are discussed and arranged, often much work is need to adjust costumes and to adapt and correct stage decorations.
‘We have a co-production of the opera “Boris Godunov” by Modest Petrovich Mussorgski, together with two operas in Germany and an opera in Sweden. The performances finished in Germany in late spring. The entire equipment was loaded onto trucks and brought to Vienna immediately, so that we could begin working on the costumes and stage decorations already over the summer. The production ended in May 2019 in Germany and the premiere in Vienna is in May 2020 – this may sound like a long period of time, but for all the work that is necessary in between, before we can launch it here, it is extremely tight and stressful.’
Overall, one can easily tell that such international engagement is complex and costly. Efforts need to be made in advance to establish connections and to decide whether a co-production or guest performance is practically feasible. Highly elaborate and well thought-out contracts must be drafted and signed to regulate the international exchanges. Light and other special effects and technical issues need to be coordinated between the international partners. Many hours of work are needed each time to adapt costumes and stage decoration. Travelling abroad creates costs that must be paid for accommodation, food, travel insurances, visas, and travel arrangements for staff. The documentation often needed is troublesome to obtain, and many national specificities in law and practice need to be taken into account each time an international performance is organised. It is impressive that such efforts are nonetheless continuously made and connections are maintained between various operas and theatres, both in and outside of Europe.
Mr Gaugusch tells me that all of these efforts are worthwhile.
‘There are many, many advantages of such international activities and of the intercultural exchange. On the one hand, of course, international performances promote the Viennese Volksoper and its own productions abroad, and certainly have a significant advertising effect. A co-production or guest performance generates audiences’ attention. Vienna has a particular reputation for music, something we are proud of. Whether in the USA, or Japan, or England, or Russia, audiences are interested in our performances and associate certain traits with the Viennese opera and operetta.’
Other advantages are of more practical nature:
‘It is possible, for example, to work with the same actors for a performance, or to exchange singers. We are a very classically organised repertoire theatre with its own ensemble, but we also engage guest performers. Sometimes, it is possible for our own singers to perform abroad, then they have already studied their part which could also benefit us at rehearsals.’
And in case an actor is unable to perform, Mr Gaugusch tells me it saves troublesome search for an understudy (a cover performer for when the regular actor or singer is unable to perform):
‘For example, we had a musical co-production of “A Wonderful Town” by Leonard Bernstein, together with an opera in Dresden, Germany. They performed the production first and then it was our turn to perform with our own singers here in Vienna. However, it so happened that one of our actors injured his leg shortly before our premiere. He somehow managed to perform at the first show, but our director had to step in front of the audience before the beginning of the show and say: “Ladies and gentlemen, he is injured, he will sing and dance for you tonight, but we wanted to inform you that the leg brace he is wearing is NOT part of his costume, it is in fact a medical necessity” … because, well, you never know, people might think this is modern interpretation of the play and some kind of modern feature of the costume…
Regardless, the actor himself was definitely unable to act in further performances. In such cases, we urgently need to find a cover. And in this case, of course, we were lucky, we only had to call Dresden and ask whether their actor would be willing to help us out until our own actor’s leg was healed again. We were very grateful to have this connection and to thereby be able to resolve the issue so quickly. Who knows, otherwise, we might have had to cancel several performances, because it takes time for a cover actor to study a role and to be able to perform on stage.’
Overall, it appears that in many ways time and money can be saved. This also includes certain production costs and undertakings.
‘The production of costumes and stage decoration can be very time-consuming and costly. Of course, when exchanging parts, we need to invest time to repair and adjust things, as I explained earlier. But compared to the costs and time it can take to produce everything from scratch, an exchange and collaboration can save us considerable efforts.’
As for the difficulties to cope with global trends in international politics, Mr Gaugusch tells me the following:
‘We certainly know we need to be aware of global trends, or that we are, to a certain extent, influenced by global political and economic developments. For example, we started our negotiations with an opera in London a few years ago, and now there is some uncertainty about how we will proceed with our contracts and what kinds of provisions will apply in the case of Brexit. We are influenced by such developments, of course, as is any other business. However, we are, after all, operating in the arts sector. We try to be neutral to global politics, we strive to bring an artistic added value to the world, rather than to be frightened by certain international developments. Our considerations aren’t mainly economical, as it might be the case in other businesses. We are open to cultural exchange, with various different countries, be it the USA, Japan, Britain, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, China, Italy, or whoever else, even if it means that we have to face certain practical difficulties and challenges. I think that we believe in cooperation rather than isolation. And I have to say, to my knowledge, we have never had a bad relationship with any opera or theatre, nationally or internationally.
Culture is a strong vehicle for dialogue, and our international activities can create an international artistic dialogue. The new impulses one gets when travelling abroad or collaborating with international partners are invaluable. It is an opportunity to broaden one’s own horizon, to be inspired by new ideas. And one can also learn a lot, for example how other performances are managed or how certain technical aspects are handled. Even from an administrative point of view, one can learn so much about how things are done, or how they should not be done. And even when certain things go wrong, or when mistakes happen, one can always learn a lesson for the next time, about how to improve. Leaving your own comfort zone and seeing things from the outside is incredibly rewarding from our point of view.’
And it is also rewarding for audiences, who get to leave their ‘national cultural comfort zone’, to experience foreign interpretations of musical works, to see international artists, and to encounter performances they might otherwise not have a chance to view. By doing so, it appears, each one of us can become part of the intercultural international connectedness and dialogue that is taking place ‘backstage’.
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I would like to most warmly thank Mr André Gaugusch from the Volksoper Wien for the time he took to speak to me, for the invaluable insights he gave me, and for his honesty and humour during our conversation.
To anyone visiting Austria / Vienna, I strongly recommend watching a performance of truly top-class operetta, opera, musicals, and ballet. Alternatively, I hope that you will have a chance to see the Volksoper, or another foreign opera house, theatre or artists, performing abroad, near you.
[1]Information obtained from the Volksoper’s website: https://www.volksoper.at/volksoper_wien/information/ueber_volksoper/Ueber_die_Volksoper.en.php
[2]The interview was conducted in September 2019 in Vienna, Austria.
[3]The information is obtained from the ‘Opera Europa’ website: http://www.opera-europa.org/en/about-us/intro-to-oe