FX MAYR Together with Nele, I began to get to know the two ensembles and how they interacted. That may sound trivial at first: “Getting to know people.” In fact, both theaters employ artists who have developed their own unique artistic languages and forms of expression. These cannot simply be juxtaposed, because their working methods differ fundamentally in some respects. That is precisely why everyone involved has no choice but to engage with the artistic languages of the others, with their counterparts, with the group. This requires a high level of competence: listening, perceiving, reacting. The artistic process develops in parallel. I believe this dual challenge has challenged everyone in a very productive way. And perhaps precisely because it was so demanding, this type of challenge fulfilled everyone in a certain way—yes, even made them happy—and connected them in a deep, lasting way. It was a valuable experience for everyone involved to feel: I can do this. I can encounter others through my artistic work and something emerges that enriches us all.

It's nice that you're working together completely in the moment.

When different artistic languages and ways of working are brought into relation with one another, this is often the result: mutual gain. This quality was already noticeable when we first met. Usually, getting to know each other works like this: we talk about what we're planning to do, and then we get started. But in reality, this process takes time. Time that can't be shortened. It also requires a certain amount of calmness. Not necessarily something you already have, but something you have to allow yourself to find and trust. Only then can you really get to know each other. When such different artists come together, this classic process breaks down to a certain extent. You can no longer think so much about the finished result, but have to take it moment by moment and consider how you can shape the next step together. It's nice that you're working together completely in the moment.

Can you describe what you discovered in this encounter, both in terms of text and staging?

NELE I think it also has to do with a certain momentariness. Which was also a question in the writing: What kind of text is needed for artists to meet on stage without being in a hierarchical relationship with each other, for example through character logic? It must be said, however, that in inclusive theater contexts, many questions—such as those concerning representation, role distribution, or accessibility—have already been thought through much more than in classical municipal theater. This highlights something that is actually inherent in every theater process. No ensemble is homogeneous. Every theater process is about encounters, about differences coming together. I then explored this question using Easy Read because its simplicity makes it accessible while also creating a sense of strangeness. I also find its verse-like structure to have great poetic potential. However, I didn't want to write an Easy Read text—I simply can't do it.

I am looking for a language that is both simple and complicated

But rather use certain principles, such as the use of main clauses or explaining difficult words. And this raises the question: where do you start? If you take this seriously, clarifying and explaining becomes almost a basic attitude, but nothing is ever clarified because every explanation brings something new that needs to be clarified. This actually coincides with my experience of the world. So I am looking for a language that is both simple and complicated, a language that is foreign to everyone involved, so that no one knows how to speak or perform this text. I don't know either. That's why everyone has to approach the text, because it may seem strange at first when read, but (hopefully) makes sense when spoken or sung, through practice, through coming together. Complicated language, but Leichter Gesang.

FX This togetherness, this coming together, the community that emerges, happens in a special way because the text itself sees itself as part of this community. We are not a group that gets a finished piece in an envelope, retreats for six weeks, and then presents it. It's something else. Nele, who is responsible for a significant part of the evening, creates the material that resonates throughout: in the air, in the ears, in the bodies. She is present, approachable, and feels the process. And those who work on the material often do so in the same room. The ensemble experiences that although the text is written, it remains alive. It continues to emerge in the present moment. This creates something democratic. The text is flexible, the space is flexible, the bodies, the voices, everything remains in motion. No one says, “This is how it is written, this is how it must be done.” There is no rigid authority. Instead, an atmosphere emerges in which everyone is challenged. This has an effect on the mood, on the openness, on the hearts. And to be honest, these are tools that I have been using for several years now and without which I would no longer want to work.

Especially when working with Easy Read that aims for accessibility, you create something that can be experienced sensually. Would you say that this is what makes it so special, that this text only works in this specific constellation of bodies, voices, and encounters?

FX I find it fascinating to look at this from different perspectives and in different ways. As soon as you delve deeper, you immediately end up with bigger questions: about viewing habits, about bodies on stage, about representation. And yes, certain bodies create certain interpretations. It would be exciting to explore this in more detail. But at the same time, I think: So what? There are always certain bodies on stage. Artists working together on something. My artistic work is often based on mistakes anyway, and I'm usually the starting point for them. In that sense, I work with assumptions, not certainties.

NELE Yes, we always describe the “special” process here, but every process is “special.” And it would be great if we could always take the time for that. For example, I often experience—in rehearsals or even after performances—that “not understanding” is perceived as a problem when someone comes out and says, “I didn't understand it.” And often this is related to shame, the perceived requirement to fulfill certain expectations in order to be allowed to go to the theater at all. “Easy singing” is ideally “understandable” without any prior knowledge.

But what does understanding actually mean?

When someone says, “I didn't understand it,” I often think they mean, “It doesn't speak to me.” Which is emotional understanding. Or vice versa: I think I understand something because I have the self-confidence to interpret the signs and am allowed to do so. However, I often enjoy theater precisely when I don't understand something right away. When I don't have to understand. But that's also because I studied theater, have been going to the theater for a long time, and am not afraid of not understanding. For many others, however, not understanding theater is a major source of stress. Ideally, Leichter Gesang is an evening where not understanding is not perceived as stressful because understanding shifts to another level, perhaps an emotional understanding, through the joy of the performance.

What happens next?

FX Something new will come along. And that's perhaps also an advantage of the text. It doesn't pretend to be written for specific people of a certain age. I feel like I can let go of the idea that a body has to represent something.

NELE What I'm particularly looking forward to now, before rehearsals begin, is that the space will be much more concrete this time and that the text is strongly based on the space and the objects in it. It's about walls, doors, chairs, tables; about things that structure the space and thus our lives. These everyday structures, which we often overlook, shape our interactions with each other. I'm very excited to see what the concreteness does to the text—and I'm especially looking forward to that in rehearsals.

The interview was conducted by Christopher-Fares Köhler.