“3 Clowns” at Villa Four Forest

The clown theater has existed for many centuries. If anyone knows, it’s Marcus Till. He created a script version of the play “3 Clowns”, directed it and is also on stage himself. They are existing clown figures that Thill adapted into the piece with a continuing plot: “There are certain processes in a clown that are very typical. There are also typical clown figures. And these characters have their own behaviour.”

A game with a long tradition

The commedia dell’arte, a special form of theatre, also has archetypes. These are – very briefly – human stereotypes, for example the villain. When imitating archetypes, actors and actresses have to play as physically as possible in order to create the desired comedy. A variety with a long tradition.

They are actually puppets, Till said: “You can find them everywhere, these puppets. I found that in the Commedia dell’arte and Minstrels in the Middle Ages they did that too. And there were also those jesters in Germany. And then later Casperl and Hans Wurst and Till Eulenspiegel. And that’s actually all these idiots.”

Three clowns on vacation

In the play “3 Clowns” Frankie Vuitl and Anna Roseger appear alongside Marcus Till. Rossiger about the content of the humorous theater scene: “Clowns arrive at Villa Four Forest and look for a nice place to have a vacation, of course it’s vacation time now. And then they stay there in the meadow, where a lot of things happen, where they unpack their musical instruments and playing the music is part of it for them, which is forbidden then because it’s clown music, of course.”

Suitable for the whole family

There are programs for the whole family that Marcus Thiel implements with his association Theatre-Wärme. Comedy is always the focal point for him: “I am a comedian at heart and I also believe that you can find comic elements in every tragedy and that you have to solve it because life is not only tragic and not only funny. Life is a tragic comedy and so should the theater.”

Constant communication with the public

“I think comedy play is also key to acting,” said actor and director Thill. He is convinced that comedy is a form of theater with very special requirements: “I don’t think you can ask that of every actress or actor. It’s a very special kind of comedy that I think you have to spend a lot of time with. It’s a lot about the rhythm and the stuff and being able to connect with the audience all the time.”

Trained clown Anna Roseger: “They also have timing, process and choreography. Of course, clowning also has an element of improvisation. Now you have both: you improvise with the audience, you interact with the audience. But as a player you always have this technical side, you don’t want to lose the timing. I have a place where I can interact with the audience and I have to make sure the timing is right. It’s like both.”

Theater as an ancient art form

The troupe is satisfied with the previous performances of 3 Clowns. Marcus Thiel and Anna Rossiger are calm about fears that theater will become extinct, says Thiel: “I myself don’t believe that theater will die because it is a very ancient art form and because it is also one of the oldest art forms in the world. So theater has always been playing.

Rosegger added, “There’s a lot out there on the Internet that’s so practical and so easy and so relaxing. But I think every human being has a longing somewhere inside for something real, for something that sweats, that you can touch, that you can hear, that’s so close. And that connects us all.” The match will take place at Villa Forest until the end of July and at Magic of the Old Town in early August.