The Plau am See Castle Festival enters its fifth season. What began in 2022 as a small initiative by enthusiasts in the castle courtyard has become a fixture of the regional cultural scene. Last year alone, around 6,000 people attended the performances.
This year’s production, “Peter Pan – The Neverland Musical,” is based on James Matthew Barrie’s over-100-year-old story. The director is Melanie Herzig from Hamburg, who has overseen several family productions. The choreography is by Jacqueline Batzlaff, a founding member of the castle festival who also plays multiple roles.
Batzlaff emphasized that she did not use wire rigs to depict flying moments, but instead aimed to stimulate children’s imaginations. “My main goal was to convey the flying moments well,” she said. “I wanted to use the children’s creativity more, so that we hint at it, but everything remains in the children’s imagination.”
Five actors portray 20 roles over 100 minutes. The audience is actively involved, for example through the “Tinkerbell” magic. Artistic director Manuel Ettelt works with a team of 20 people. A support association helps with admission and cleaning. Performances run until mid-August. NDR is a sponsor of the castle festival.
Source: www.ndr.de
