Der Wolf muss weg
Der Wolf muss weg
© SLT / Tobias Witzgall

THE WOLF MUST GO!

Sarah Henker / Susi Richter

Uraufführung: 08. Februar 2025 / Kammerspiele

Synopsis

Events such as the St. Rupert’s Fair, the Krampus Parades or the Christmas Markets are an integral part of Salzburg’s culture; they trigger feelings of solidarity and evoke a collective identity. We come together to keep up traditions and rituals, we continually breathe new life to them and are profoundly influenced by them in turn. In the best case, traditions can change and adapt, inviting exchange and mutual inspiration. In the worst case, they are rigid and reactionary, fuelling segregation, aggression and fear.

 After all, whenever there is a “We”, it invariably implies a concept of “The Others”. The others who are not wearing dirndls, who do not speak dialect or who speak a different dialect, who do not believe in God or who believe in a different God. Phrases such as “They don’t belong! They are threatening our way of life! They must go!” are once again uttered lightly today. These phrases are also applied to wolves, hence the title of the play. Certain political forces present wolves as enemies and frequently use them as a rhetoric means to describe more than just migrating predatory animals… What are the opportunities and threats in the context of traditions? Who invented these traditions and for what purpose? Who is exploiting them to foster herd thinking? And – are we gradually becoming a society of hunters?

Sarah Henker and Susi Richter, a German immigrant and an Austrian born and bred, examine Salzburg’s traditions – from their origins to current debates – in order to analyse their mechanisms and effects and to find out how we can make sure that “We” means all of us.

Susi Richter, born in a small town in Austria two years before Kurt Cobain’s death. Made her first writing attempts in Kindergarten. Wrote her first stage play, “The Withered Teacher”, aged seven. Specialised in love poems, diaries and protest slogans as a teenager. In preparation for “The Wolf Must Go!”, Richter left her comfort zone and visited various beery festival tents. Her personal motto is: think before you write.

Sarah Henker studied at the Institute of Applied Theatre Studies in Gießen and has staged productions such as “We Should All Be Feminists”, “The Robbers” and “Wie man im Leben alles richtig macht” at the Salzburg State Theatre. Her work frequently centres on current societal discourse. She has been collaborating with Salzburg-based stage and costume designer Eva Musil for many years.