The director of the Ernst-Barlach-Theater Güstrow Johanna Sandberg talks to Christine Wahl about the commitment of the citizens of Güstrow to their 200-year-old theatre.
Johanna Sandberg, congratulations on winning the Theaterpreis des Bundes in the category of private theaters and theaters hosting guest performance – and let’s start with a question that is asked of all the winners in this series of interviews: Can you name a special feature that distinguishes your theater, a unique selling point that really only exists with you?
Johanna Sandberg: I can think of two things off the top of my head. Firstly, that our theater was built in 1828 with donations from the people of Güstrow – a process that was absolutely extraordinary at the time. The Schönemann Society, which founded the first drama academy in Germany in Schwerin, also performed regularly in Güstrow – the first performance can be traced back to a playbill from 1740. However, there was no fixed venue; plays were performed in the town hall, for example. I find it very impressive that the people of Güstrow – whose town had just around 8,000 inhabitants at the time – then took the initiative to build their own theater in order to offer the touring troupes a suitable venue.

What is the second special feature of the Ernst-Barlach-Theater?
Sandberg: It’s directly related to this early period and consists of the fact that we don’t have an “iron curtain.” Of course, we also have a protective curtain – but not a metal one like the theaters that were built later.
The actor and singer Hans Albers – still completely unknown at the time – made his debut at the Güstrow Theater in the 1912/1913 season at the age of 21 and, according to Wikipedia, proved to be a real multitasker: For his monthly fee, which was between 60 and 120 marks, he not only acted but also helped by working behind the scenes.
Sandberg (laughs): Yes, I can well imagine that; unusual times call for unusual measures.
And yet, the Ernst-Barlach-Theater is still run by passionate multitaskers – in a different way: There are only four permanent employees at your theater, including you, all with a wide range of skills.
Sandberg: That’s true. Our technician is also the in-house graphic designer, and the person responsible for press and public relations also does some of the administrative work – as does the person who works in the box office.
It’s all the more remarkable that with this small staff you manage to run a theater that puts on more than 100 different performances a year! That only works with a lot of passion from everyone involved, doesn’t it?
Sandberg: Yes, there’s definitely a lot of passion involved, I can confirm that one hundred percent for my team. What can I say: we just do it! (Laughs)
In fact, you do a lot that goes beyond the usual business of hosting guest performances. For example, you offer theater groups and ensembles that perform at your theater the opportunity to stage rehearsals at your venue – which are then also open to the public.
Sandberg: Yes, I’ve always been fascinated by the rehearsal process. So, when I received a request from a touring theater to hold the rehearsals at our venue, I immediately agreed. One condition, however, was that we could open up the rehearsals so that schoolchildren could take part. The young people should also be able to talk to the artists. The final rehearsal phase is a very sensitive time, but the director and the actors agreed immediately.
What has the reaction of the audience been to this?
Sandberg: They have reacted really well. After the very first rehearsal visit – the Ernst-Deutsch-Theater in Hamburg put on a guest performance of Daniel Kehlmann’s “Tyll” – a teacher told me that some pupils were disappointed that they only got to see a few scenes and asked: “But why didn’t it go on? We wanted to see the whole play!” The rehearsal visit took place one morning, two days before the guest performance premiere, which was on a Saturday evening. It’s actually very rare for schoolchildren to visit us. Apart from the fact that young people don’t usually see a visit to the theater as a leisure activity, we are in a rural region here. Many people have to drive from their village to the city. If the parents don’t go to the theater themselves, the young people won’t come either. But on that Saturday, surprisingly, 18 discounted tickets were sold for the “Tyll” premiere! This means that more than a third of the 50 pupils who attended the rehearsal came to the premiere to watch the entire performance.

Apart from young people spontaneously infected by rehearsals, what kind of audience do you attract? Your theater is the only theater within a radius of 45 kilometers. The nearest venue is the Volkstheater Rostock, so you have a large catchment area.
Sandberg: Who comes to see us depends on the program. As a guest performance theater, we are something like a small multi-genre theater. We offer everything: from plays to musical theater to symphony concerts, from theater performed in dialects to dance to rock and pop, from slide shows to cabaret, from new circus to theater especially for children and young people. That is also our mission: to present a program which has something to offer everyone.
Although you took over the directorship of the Ernst-Barlach-Theater during the COVID-19 lockdown – at the beginning of 2021 – you have also managed to establish your own program priorities, for example a new drama subscription.
Sandberg: That really is a project close to my heart! Since the 2022/2023 season, we have been offering four top-class drama productions per season as part of this subscription – with introductions in the foyer beforehand to familiarize the audience with the different working methods and artistic styles of the touring theaters.
Planning a new series of plays in the middle of the lockdown was a bit of a gamble. Not least because I couldn’t get to know the audience. The theaters were all closed. But I relied on the city’s artistic tradition – and when choosing the plays, I was initially guided by what kind of themes were equally suitable for adults and young people. One of the first productions I showed here was “The Physicists” by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Sometimes I also chose the plays according to personal preferences, such as a production of Shakespeare’s “Richard III.” It’s not always easy to make these kinds of decisions, because in the touring theater business you often book performances unseen – either because you don’t have the opportunity to see them beforehand or because they haven’t even been produced yet.
You have proven to be extremely astute in your choices from the start: Many of your performances were and are sold out. Are there nevertheless any challenges that you’re currently struggling with?
Sandberg: Our biggest challenge is that our building is in need of renovation but, unfortunately, we don’t have the funds for it. The outbuilding in the rear courtyard, which also houses the artists’ dressing rooms, is dilapidated. We have plans to replace it with a new building. Unfortunately, the funding application that the town of Güstrow and the district agreed on for the renovation was not approved. Nevertheless, I’m pleased with the cooperation that the town and district have achieved on this point.
So that’s not always the case?
Sandberg: The Ernst-Barlach-Theater Güstrow is overseen by the district of Rostock – which is indeed a special situation: Most theatres are municipal, i.e., they are the responsibility of a local authority, and only this authority is eligible to apply for most funding programs. The district’s expenditure, on the other hand, must be approved by the district council – which is critical of the amount the district spends. The mayors are naturally looking for potential savings, and at this point the “voluntary services,” which include spending on culture, are always being called into question.
There have even been calls to close the Ernst-Barlach-Theater.
Sandberg: You have to realize that the district of Rostock is very large. The proposal came from mayors whose municipalities are at the other end of the district and who hardly know our theater. Fortunately, this discussion seems to have abated, but the proposal describes the situation I found when I came to the theater in 2021. My goal was and is to increase the reputation and status of the theater, and that can only be achieved through a good program.
You sound surprisingly calm.
Sandberg: I simply see this as a challenge and an incentive to get even more people interested in the performing and musical arts. In this respect, I’m all the more delighted that it now looks as if we can come to a productive collaboration and define the future of the theater as a joint task for the city and the district. Especially since, according to a visitor survey we conducted, 52 percent of our audience actually comes from the district, while 48 percent come directly from Güstrow.
But apart from all that, I’m always touched and encouraged by how passionately people here are committed to their theater, how clearly the theater’s almost 200-year history as a community theater is not just a beautiful tradition, but a living practice to this day. Our fundraising campaign to renovate the theater seats raised almost €100,000.
What exactly did the campaign look like?
Sandberg: The theater’s support association and the district launched the fundraising campaign a year ago and offered seat sponsorships of €250 per seat. One of the first donors said: “Wonderful, the Christmas present problem is solved – everyone in the family now gets a theater seat! One donation even came from the US – from a native of Güstrow who now lives there and found out about our campaign in a roundabout way.
What does winning the award in the “private theaters and theaters hosting guest performances” category mean to you?
Sandberg: The award really means a lot to my team and me. It’s not only an affirmation of our work to date, but also an important means of support for our future plans.
In addition to the symbolic capital, the award also comes with €100,000. Have you already spent the money?
Sandberg: I’d like to further expand the area of cultural education and offer theater courses. I get asked about this all the time – especially from parents who want this for their children. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been possible so far for financial reasons, but with the prize money we can now make it happen. I would love to organize theater courses for all generations, from children and young people to senior citizens. The Ernst-Barlach-Theater will be celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2028. If we could establish it by that date, and then all put on a performance together – that would be fantastic! I already don’t know where my head is at with work. (Laughs) But you can – and must – always dream!