Stefan Klingele, the Musikalische Komödie’s musical director, initiated the project. It’s designed to offer artists an outlet for expressions during the pandemic-caused shutdown. Another effect of the shutdown: the grand re-opening of recently renovated stage at the Haus Dreilinden has been pushed back once again. Prof. Bettina Reitz, president of the HFF München, will provide additional institutional support, and instructor and filmmaker Daniel Lang will operate as the project director. Baritone Justus Seeger, a member of the Musikalische Komödie’s ensemble, will oversee content and coordinate filming in Leipzig.

Rubric "Nebenschauschätze"

Once completed, the short films will be available on the Oper Leipzig’s YouTube channel, in a new rubric entitled "Nebenschauschätze," or "sideshow treasures." The channel will include further works by the students, and will provide content alongside the theater’s usual offerings.

Prof. Bettina Reitz, President of the HFF München says, "It’s exactly in these times, when art, film, the entire cultural sector can’t present its work through regular channels, that this kind of a collaboration between the HFF München and the Musikalische Komödie in Leipzig is priceless. This cooperation makes visible what we’ve all been missing. The fact that uniting two art forms, such as here with opera and cinema, results in a particularly open and adventurous kind of cooperation shows all the more that artists are coming together and uniting even more than usual. This kind of collaboration demonstrates that together, we are strong and visible!"

Stefan Klingele, the project’s initiator and the Musikalische Komödie’s music director, says about the project, "The filmmakers will use this time of crisis as an opportunity to create a new symbiotic relationship between the theatrical and the cinematic. These experimental films will be much more than just representational works and will capture the essence of our theater in a language uniquely cinematic."

Marie Zrenner, a student at the HFF and one of the project’s directors, says, "This project gives us a completely open and experimental chance to look at the world of the theater, specifically at the Musikalische Komödie, providing new and unusual perspectives that are both refreshing and modern."

Musikalische Komödie is one of the Oper Leipzig’s divisions, and has an ensemble that specializes in operetta and musicals. The theater is truly one-of-a-kind, and enjoys cult status both in Leipzig and in the wider music world. The theater’s home in Leipzig’s Lindenau neighborhood has stood for over 100 years and was recently renovated. The refurbished auditorium now boasts seating for 640 audience members in a unique art deco atmosphere. The many employees of the Musikalische Komödie – including a soloist ensemble, a 25-member chorus, a ballet troupe made up of 15 dancers, and an orchestra of 47 musicians – sing, dance, and make music together.
www.oper-leipzig.de

The HFF München was founded in 1966, and instruction began in 1967. The institution celebrated 50 years of operation in 2017. The HFF München has been at home in Munich’s Kunstareal at the Bernd-Eichinger-Platz since 2011. It offers the following programs of study: Directing fiction or documentary films (with an optional specialization in editing), Production & Media Business, Screenplay and Camera (with an optional VFX specialization). Alumni of the HFF München include Maren Ade, Caroline Link, And Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.
www.hff-muenchen.de