{"id":66871,"date":"2025-07-09T20:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T18:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/?p=66871"},"modified":"2025-08-01T10:18:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T08:18:28","slug":"giving-the-eternal-presence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dasgoetheanum.com\/en\/giving-the-eternal-presence\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving the Eternal Presence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rehearsals are underway for the production of Faust<\/em> at the Goetheanum. What kind of space is being created in this time of development? A conversation between Wolfgang Held and Andrea Pfaehler, director and artistic director of the <\/em>production.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wolfgang Held: In October, twenty actors and a number of eurythmists will perform Goethe\u2019s Faust<\/em>. All very unique individuals. How will they become an ensemble?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrea Pfaehler: <\/strong>We are rehearsing with the premiere on October 10 as our goal. For each individual, it is a very unique journey\u2014infinitely different. And yet the goal is the same for all of us. It\u2019s a mystery how we all will come together from so many different paths for the performance. Not only is the path unique to each individual, but the pace of the journey is also unique. To continue with the image: the vehicle, too, is also different for everyone\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there any transfers or layovers on this trip?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, in the rehearsals, but interestingly also in the periods when the work we\u2019ve done is given over to rest and settle. The scenes then develop further in that space of rest. Then, we can build on that, but we can\u2019t predict what will come inwardly. There\u2019s no certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What gives you trust in the process, then?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes I find it’s a bit of a mystery what gives me, us, this foundation, and there are also times when the questions and issues surrounding this nine-hour production pile up\u2014this is missing here, that is missing there. I believe trust comes from two sides: first, from what the actors carry within them, the treasure that each of them brings; and second, from the play itself\u2014Goethe\u2019s Faust<\/em>. It is so huge that it carries us all. And we\u2019re not starting from scratch, but with the new cast, we can also draw on the production from 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, working as an ensemble inspires trust, but at the same time, it means trusting each other, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the actors, rehearsing means revealing themselves completely. They give their all, everything they have in that moment. And that complete and total \u201cyes\u201d to one another can only happen in a safe space of trust. As a director, I see where things should develop. It is much more important for me to be completely open to each individual, because it is through them that the play actually takes place. That is what directing means to me: creating conditions in conversation, in seeing and hearing together, where everyone can unfold their potential. I’m also very happy about working with Rafael and the eurythmy ensemble. It’s an enrichment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s about mutual trust\u2014the trust of the performers with each other and with me. It is a valuable asset that I see the strengths in each individual, and don\u2019t demand anything from them that would be harmful. This also requires that they trust me. And I have to trust that it will all work in the end. It\u2019s a space of trust, which is why it\u2019s so difficult when someone who isn\u2019t taking part in it comes and watches our rehearsals. Anyone who arrives fresh wants to see the end goal that the rehearsal is apparently working towards, and I understand that. They\u2019re focused on results. But that\u2019s sort of tricky, because every rehearsal is a step along the path and not a result in itself. It\u2019s a journey where the presence of the goal somehow shines through. And at the same time, I can\u2019t take that as the endpoint. The aim must always be in sight, but at the same time, we should be careful not to talk in the present about where we\u2019re going or what that aim might ultimately look like. Otherwise, we lose the alchemy of the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What role do mistakes play in finding the right expression?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the thing\u2014you can\u2019t make mistakes! There are no mistakes in rehearsals. Everything is open. When dynamics, thought processes, expression, and storyline work together, then it’s right. Creating this again and again means going further, deeper, and more precisely. In the best case scenario, this is how the rehearsal steps lead up to the performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every rehearsal is a performance?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The correct way to do it is not written down anywhere. Because the right thing only emerges from doing it in the moment. And tomorrow, that moment will be a little different. What remains the same is the text. The text is the needle of the compass. But how we perform the text, in what mood, at what volume, with what force and inner movement, there is no right or wrong. It\u2019s only possible to make mistakes if someone already knows what\u2019s right. With acting, it\u2019s different. You can only say, \u201cThat was perhaps a little too much of…\u201d or \u201cThere should be less of that here.\u201d The structure we all usually move around in, where we know which door is right and which is wrong, doesn\u2019t exist on the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet, in art, there are certain expressions that are more convincing than others, that are exactly right as they are given, where freedom somehow gives rise to something that appears absolutely necessary. That\u2019s the miracle of art, isn\u2019t it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s probably true for the person who\u2019s watching and listening. For the artist, it\u2019s always true that you can do it this way or that way or even completely differently, because there\u2019s no such thing as objectivity on the stage. Perhaps, we\u2019re thinking: if you don\u2019t die for it, if I\u2019m not willing to die in order to find the right tone for this moment, then the miracle won\u2019t happen. I actually have to die in every moment for it to be right. But I can\u2019t know that beforehand. I only know it when it happens. That\u2019s how free acting is. Can I say, \u201cThat form didn\u2019t work exactly right\u201d? The precision, the accuracy, lies in the realm of the soul. In Gretchen\u2019s dungeon scene, for example, we ask ourselves with every line, \u201cFrom what place do I think the character is speaking right now?\u201d All I can do here is give the actors food for thought, helping them to access a place within themselves and to speak, think, and act from that place. In addition to holding the whole thing together, giving direction and challenging the actors, my job is to create a trusting atmosphere that invites them to explore inner spaces and test their artistic boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you meeting each other there for the first time?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, I hope so. I think so, in the best case. That\u2019s where the basic concept of a scene stands. I can picture everything in my head that we want to say with the scene, how the characters relate to each other, etc., and this conceptual work is important, of course, for me. And then Gretchen, Faust, and Mephisto start acting in front of me, and a lot of things are completely different. The thoughts were worthwhile, all the talking was important, but how the scene turns out comes from this deeper source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes a house of cards collapses?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, because the present is so powerful. If, during a rehearsal, things take a different turn than we\u2019d planned with the dramaturgy, we are faced with a question: Do we say, \u201cNo, we had a different idea,\u201d or do we say, \u201cYes, go ahead. See where it takes you.\u201d? I always encourage the actor to follow their inner impulses. I have to be happy when they have impulses, when they offer something, and then I can draw on what\u2019s coming out of them in the moment. That way, they can be completely artistic. There are enough restrictions as it is. They wear a costume they don\u2019t choose; they\u2019re given a role they don\u2019t choose. They\u2019re performing in a play they didn\u2019t choose, and so on and so forth. Then there\u2019s this one freedom\u2014the rehearsal, the performance. That\u2019s when they\u2019re completely free, in the moment of performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you provide them in this moment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My attention. Then I ask questions to help the performers find this inner place. Or I tell them a story or describe what the scene wants. The shoes the role wears are important, and preferably another item of clothing belonging to the character. Then I have a script in front of me and pick out notes from 1907. Someone played Gretchen in her own way 100 years ago. She suffered, searched, and found\u2014in her own way. It was the same text. This shows the timelessness of Faust<\/em>! And we give this eternity a present, an eternal presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there a third element that adds to the people and the text on stage, to this alchemy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know if this is the place to say it, but after every performance, I thank my father, who\u2019s passed away. I feel that it\u2019s not just up to us whether it succeeds or not. In rehearsal, we struggle; it\u2019s human. But during the performance, something completely different happens. Yes, then you need grace from the other side. I say the same thing as Anatevka, Tevye\u2019s daughter, when she\u2019s allowed to marry her beloved tailor Mottel: \u201cThank you, Papa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Faust 2025 at the Goetheanum<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

October 10-12th, October 18-19th, October 25-26th<\/p>\n\n\n\n