GLAUBE UND HEIMAT

Staged Reading of the Drama by Karl Schönherr

Religious disputes continue to fuel global con - flicts to this day. A reminder that the Christian faith still permitted murder and killing even into the 20th century is provided by the Austrian dramatist Karl Schönherr (1867–1943) in his play ‘Glaube und Heimat’ (Faith and Homeland). Here he presents the historically documented murder of Protestants by their Catholic neighbours in a valley in the Tyrol in 1838. Setting the story in the Counter-Reformation, Schönherr demon - strates what people are capable of in the name of their convictions – material which is no less topical now than it was when the play was first written. Vicars picked up on the play’s title 100 years ago, naming the church newspaper of the new - ly founded Thüringer Landeskirche after it. In addition to the play being premiered at the Deutsches Nationaltheater around that time, they were also conscious of the fact that the Protestants who had been forced to leave Tyrol had settled in the area where the newspaper was distributed. Now, to mark the centenary of the central German church newspaper ‘Glaube+Heimat’, Kunstfest Weimar presents this largely forgot - ten play in the form of a staged reading with two actors extremely well known to Kunstfest audiences, Steve Karier and Judith Rosmair. When Kunstfest comes to an end on 8th Sep - tember, this will coincide with the beginning of ACHAVA Festspiele. On this Sunday, cultures and religions join hands in Weimar. The focus is on diversity, tolerance and cosmopolitanism.