QUEENSLAND'S GERMAN CONNECTIONS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

The utterly irrepressible Wolfgang Kreuzer has also been ‘acting up’ for a quarter of a century, helping keep his native language alive in Queensland through some unique theatrical performances – with the help of a few friends. 25 years of DTDU

“Deutsches Theater Down Under (DTDU) was my answer to keeping the German language alive in my adopted country – Australia,” says Wolfgang. “The aim was to bring German drama, and with it German culture, into the Australian community and, since its establishment in 1987, it has worked something like a ‘mixed couple’ who gain a greater understanding of each other.” Wolfgang, as producer/director, together with his partner (and administrator, and props and costumes creator), Marianne Prell, produces numerous stage plays every year, and takes part in street processions, festivals and radio plays. “Bringing art to the people, not people to the art is the aim,” explains Wolfgang. “It was really created out of an idea to help expatriates from German-speaking countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg – and Germany, of course! – as well as others which either taught German in school as a second language or had German communities living abroad, such as Poland, or the Czech and Slovak Republics, to better integrate into Australian society, without losing their identity and heritage, and to share their culture and language with the rest of the Australian community.”

“The numbers are fluid,” says Wolfgang, who is not averse to letting German backpackers take time out from their travels to appear in a show or two. “I coach the actors in both acting and German, carefully cultivating the correct inflections and teasing out any Australian accents so the audience can understand ‘the real German’ in the many lighthearted plays, comedies, and so forth which we produce. “I want to entertain in German first and foremost rather than teach. Because a fair proportion of our audiences are not native German speakers, we choose plays that are accessible and very visual so that, even with a rudimentary knowledge, people can follow them. Each production conveys a feeling of Heimat (homeland) as the venue is always decorated with German posters, colours and decorations.” Wolfgang brings a stunning depth of theatrical experience to his craft, with 40 years spent in roles ranging from acting at La Boite Theatre, to work as Stage Manager at the Queensland Theatre Company, from being a television studio floor manager to clowning around at circuses and delivering 25 years of City Hall pantomimes. As long as there is a willing audience to be found, Wolfgang and Marianne – and their changing cast of players and characters – will be there to delight, taking bookings via wolmar@bigpond.com Top: When Brisbane used to celebrate its Spring ‘Warana’ (“fun in the sun”) carnival and street parade, DTDU was there, as this 1987 image on William Street confirms; below: it’s not entirely clear which of these colourful cast-members might be Wolfgang but, if you saw it at the time, you are sure to remember. Images courtesy of Wolfgang Kreuzer and ActArt Productions

Apart from a limited amount of ‘seed funding’, provided from the German government via the consulate in the earliest days of the company’s existence, DTDU has survived and flourished solely through its own resources and the initiave and effort of its founders. As a wholly-volunteer enterprise, DTDU has around 15 to 20 actors, of whom around 40% are native Australians who have studied German.

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