Who is Nicolai Tegeler? For those who don't know him yet: he is a versatile German theater maker who has developed over the past decades into one of the most striking figures in the German-speaking cultural landscape. He began his career as an actor, stood in front of the camera and on stage for many years, but gradually evolved into a director, producer and what he himself calls a "culture entrepreneur." Today he sees himself first and foremost as a storyteller, regardless of the role in which he works. Not only to perform stories, but also to develop, shape and produce them himself: that became the driving force behind his work. With productions in cities such as Bremen, Graz, Bayreuth and Coburg, he built a reputation as someone who translates classical texts into a contemporary context. Werner De Smet spoke for Klassiek Centraal with him about his latest project: a staging of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Jedermann at the Weimar Marktplatz, in mid-August.
With this new production, Tegeler deliberately chooses not to copy the famous Salzburg tradition. He wants to bring Hofmannsthal's iconic work (1874-1929) closer to the contemporary audience – not as a distant classical repertory piece, but as a direct confrontation with life's big questions. At the core of his artistic vision is the conviction that art can touch and connect people, and that theater is strongest when different art forms merge: music deepens emotion, literature provides philosophical depth, performance keeps humanity central. "When all these elements come together, something is created that is greater than the individual parts," he says. Tegeler therefore does not see theater merely as entertainment, but as a place where people are challenged to reflect on themselves, their choices and their mortality. That is precisely why Jedermann has fascinated him for years.
What continues to captivate him in Jedermann? According to Tegeler, the play reveals a fundamental human truth that never loses its relevance. "We all think we still have time," he says. "We postpone decisions, dreams or reconciliations." That is precisely where its enormous power lies for him: it confronts humans with the question of what ultimately remains when success, possessions and superficialities fall away. Although Jedermann has strong religious roots, Tegeler views it first and foremost as an existential drama that reaches far beyond belief alone. Themes such as fear, loss, guilt, hope and the search for meaning are universally recognizable. Because of this, the play also touches people who have little or no connection with religion. For Tegeler, Jedermann ultimately is not about dogmas, but about the condition humaine itself.
At the same time, he emphasizes that his production does not wish to be a provocative break with tradition. The Salzburg Jedermann remains for him a cultural monument that deserves great respect. Without the Salzburger Festspiele, the play might never have grown into the symbol it is today within the German-speaking theater world. But according to Tegeler, every generation has the responsibility to find its own interpretation. "I don't want to copy a Salzburg Jedermann," he says. "I want to tell our own version." That is precisely why the choice for Weimar plays such an important role in this production. For Tegeler, the city is one of the most meaningful cultural places in Europe. Here the legacy of Goethe and Schiller, the history of the Weimar Republic and the heritage of the Bauhaus come together. Great art and great ideas, but also historical fractures and human tragedies – with the proximity of Buchenwald – are part of the city's identity. "Weimar reminds us of what people are capable of – for good and ill," he says. According to him, it is precisely that historical complexity that makes Weimar particularly suitable for a piece that revolves around responsibility, transience and humanity.
According to Tegeler, this connection with a city also directly influences the way he develops a performance. Every location has its own character, history and audience, and that automatically changes the atmosphere of a production. A Jedermann in Weimar feels different to him than in the cities where he has previously staged the play. The core of the story remains the same, but the setting gives the piece different energy each time. That makes theater alive and relevant for him. For that reason, he also deliberately chooses performance spaces with a strong identity. He does not like anonymous or interchangeable theater halls without history. Marketplaces, historic sites and special open-air locations should also be part of the storytelling. "I look for places with a soul," he says. The space thus becomes not only scenery, but an active conversation partner of the performance itself.
At the beginning of this new production, Tegeler therefore posed himself one central artistic question: how do you tell Jedermann today in such a way that people feel personally addressed by it immediately? Not as a historical curiosity or a classic spectacle, but as a story that is directly about their own lives. According to him, the audience's reactions show that this approach works. Many visitors initially expect a traditional evening of theater, but leave the performance visibly moved. Conversations often emerge afterwards about family, loss, reconciliation or unfulfilled dreams. That touches him repeatedly, he says. The piece has also changed him personally. Working for years on themes such as mortality, responsibility and the essence of life inevitably leaves traces, according to him. "Jedermann also reminds me what is truly important."
In an era in which people are constantly distracted and rarely come to rest, Tegeler also sees an almost spiritual role for theater again. Not necessarily religious, he emphasizes, but spiritual in the sense of a genuine encounter with oneself. "Theater can create spaces in which people step out of their daily stream for a moment and engage with life's big questions," he says. According to him, Jedermann today may even have more power than ever because it forces the audience to reflect on what truly matters in life. What he ultimately hopes visitors take away from the performance on the Weimar Marktplatz in mid-August is above all emotion and awareness. That people perhaps finally express what they have long wanted to say. That they become grateful for what they have. And that they realize that success, money and possessions have value, but are never the most important thing.