Amid the trees and fields in a Bauhaus-style theatre on the outskirts of Munich, Veronica Stivala discovered the art of rural theatre and the artistic community that supports it
What happens if you cross an architect with theatre studies? You get a beautifully functional theatrical space, of course.
The Maypole in the town of Moosach.Situated in the middle of the countryside on the outskirts of Munich is the Meta Theatre. Built in Bauhaus style, the building is a performer’s paradise. In a style typical of the movement, the building emphasises geometric forms; the quadrangle motif is repeated in the wooden floored adaptable performance/rehearsal space and then in the seven half-levels that spiral up above – living quarters for its founder and architect, Axel Tangerding, and for artist residencies. Looking out of the ceiling-to-floor glass windows one is met with only countryside: fields, trees and more trees.
I stumbled, if you will, upon this theatre, thanks to an outing organised by IETM, a network for the contemporary performing arts. IETM organises a number of events, including a biannual plenary session, of which this outing formed part and which session was held in Munich. This day trip to the town of Moosach served as an insight into rural theatre; theatre on the outskirts of a city; theatre that brings with it the serenity of its surroundings; theatre that breaks away from the quotidian, from the sometimes bling and rush of central Munich.
Admittedly, although Moosach is more or less on the outskirts of the city, it is so close (barely a half hour drive) that it is considered either the beginning of the countryside, or the beginning of the city. So, while it is technically in the country, its vicinity makes it accessible enough for people from the city to easily come to watch performances. The performances and training here offer the opportunity for artists to take inspiration from and use the surrounding nature in their work. The renowned theatre director Jerzy Grotowski once took his students out of the theatre and into the nearby trees, using them as their working space.
Founded as an experiment in 1978, the theatre has its roots in the inspiration Tangerding found in Ellen Stuart, who had set up her La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York and enabled young, unknown directors and actors to try out their ideas for a new theatre. Names that crossed her path included Grotowski, American playwright Paul Foster, American actor, playwright and director Sam Shepard, English theatre and film director Peter Brook, and many more.
The rural creative community stretches beyond the theatre to an impressive nearby atelier
And so in a similar vein, the Meta Theatre serves as a welcoming platform for performers and creative artists without the pressures, financial and just the faster pace, that a city like Munich presents. It is a ‘habitat’, a workspace and centre of networking activities.
I was lucky to watch a Noh theatre performance by Akira Matsui, designated an ‘Important Intangible Cultural Asset’ by the Japanese government.
The highly codified 600-year-old theatre form is considered the oldest major theatre art that is still performed to this day. Matsui danced the Noh classic Shiro Tamura and followed this by the one-act Rockaby, which Irish playwright Samuel Beckett had dedicated to Noh theatre. Through these two performances, Matsui wanted to show the mutability of Noh, from the traditional to a contemporary style.
The rural creative community stretches beyond the theatre to an impressive nearby atelier. The home and working space of Hubert Maier, this wooden edifice serves not only as Maier’s workshop, but is also another space for amateur artists to come together, paint, do crafts and help the artistic community out. Most impressive was certainly Maier, who is currently building his house in reverse: he is making the furniture, around which he will then build his own house.
As part of our outing we were treated to a homemade dinner prepared by the community. It was a wonderful way of really getting a feel for modern rural Bavaria, and I know I will soon return to the Meta Theatre for its next artistic offering.
Axel Tangerding and the Meta Theatre. Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin