Gotthelf's Spider Sings, Dances, and Celebrates

It begins before it begins. An alienated Dies Irae and an installation featuring spider-themed motifs welcomes visitors in front of the venue. Next, still on the terrace in front of the entrance, come small, seemingly fragmented interludes and performances presented by a group of children, a folk dance duo, actors in spooky costumes, and a young man with a disability—all with and without music, performed live and played over speakers. The sound of Code Word: Spider is thus literally set.

«Community Opera» is the name of the production that premiered on Wednesday at «Manufacture: TOBS!» in Biel. It is the result of a collaboration between the Junges Theater Biel and the Bern University of the Arts, with Isabelle Freymond as director, Pascal Viglino as musical director, and Leo Dick as artistic director and composer. The term «Community Opera» usually refers to a work performed jointly by amateurs and professionals; the team from Code Word: Spider goes well beyond that. As the press release aptly notes, it «brings together people who would often not encounter one another in everyday life»: people with and without disabilities, an amateur orchestra of seniors, amateur actors of all ages—including several children—as well as some professional stage performers and instrumental soloists.

Music from folklore, the modern era, the Middle Ages, and film

The greatest possible diversity, then—which Leo Dick’s music certainly embodies. It combines folkloric elements from various sources with echoes of modernism, the Middle Ages, and film music. The unifying element is the village festival from The Black Spider by Jeremias Gotthelf. In the novella, the festival merely serves as a narrative framework for the inner plot, which makes up the main part of the book. In Code Word: Spider In contrast, the setting provides the backdrop for a longer series of performances that combine theater, opera, and dance. The sixth act serves as the climax. Village Theater Presentation, in which—as a sort of “play within a play”—a good portion of the plot from Gotthelf’s novella is retold.

Code Word: Spider It consists of a total of eight acts, which the audience can see listed on stage throughout the entire play: a clever directorial touch that makes it much easier to follow this work, which is structured in a very collage-like manner. Despite—or perhaps precisely because of—its heterogeneity, however, the outstanding ensemble ensures a sense of unity. The children in the cast deserve special mention; not only do they shine as performers, but they also switch effortlessly between French and German and back again. The enthusiastic applause from the premiere audience was likely directed—even more so than at the individual performances—toward the virtuosity with which age, educational, and other barriers were overcome here.

Additional performances on September 18, 19, and 20.