At the Salzburg Festival, climate activists of the last generation choose a form of protest that leaves viewers in the dark as to whether it is part of the production.
Salzburg – The climate demonstrations of the last generations always cause a stir. At the premiere of the play “Jedermann” at the Salzburg Festival on Friday evening, however, a new form of protest mainly caused confusion. The spectators were obviously not clear at first what was part of the production and what was not.
Disruptive action or part of the play? Dark new production by the director
Visitors to the Salzburg Festival are probably more familiar with the play “Jedermann” by Hugo von Hoffmannsthal than the average person. But probably because of the director’s creative freedom in the staging, a protest by the “Last Generation” at the premiere of the play was initially not clearly recognizable as such. The climate action seemed to fit seamlessly into the gloomy new production. As reported by the APA news agency, about halfway through the performance on Friday evening, activists distributed in the hall shouted slogans such as “We are all the last generation!” Then they were escorted out of the hall and the play continued. Disruptive action or part of the staging? According to the APA, this was initially unclear to viewers.
The confusion in the audience was probably also so great because director Michael Sturminger, as part of the production, had activists in safety vests storm the stage at the beginning of the performance. They then sprayed the facade of the villa of the protagonist “Jedermann” orange in the play. Orange is also the color of the “Last Generation” and can be found, for example, in the logo of the environmental activists. Apparently no coincidence: According to APA, the piece contained further allusions to the climate crisis and was characterized by extensive criticism of capitalism. The viewer experiences with the protagonist of the play “what happens if we only start to think and act when it’s too late,” explained Sturminger, according to dpa, about his production.
Last generation in Austria wants to “hold up a mirror to society” with a protest action
The section of the last generation in Austria claimed responsibility for the protest on Friday evening. In their statement, it said that the activists had “peacefully confronted actors and audiences in Salzburg with the same question” that “Jedermann” author Hugo von Hofmannsthal had occupied over 100 years ago: “What remains of a human life?”. Hold up a mirror to society. “Are we too comfortable to save ourselves?” the group’s Twitter profile read.
The climate activists see themselves as the last generation before the tipping point – i.e. the threshold at which a cascading worsening of the climate crisis will start if they are crossed (bme with dpa/AFP).
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