Hotzenplotz the Robber followed by The Golden Pig

There was no shortage of drama on the stage of Burgaltendorf Theatre in Essen-Burgaltendorf on 13 and 14 March! After weeks of intensive rehearsing, the company’s 20 amateur thespians at last had a chance to show off the results of their hard work – and with a double billing too. The matinee was the children’s classic, Hotzenplotz the Robber, performed by children for children. This was followed that same evening by a spine-chilling detective story: Tatort: Goldene Sau, which translates roughly as The Scene of the Crime: The Golden Pig.

That the work of the Burgaltendorf Drama Society turned out to be such a success was thanks in no small part to the support of RWE Companius. Realising that the budget for costumes and sets was extremely tight, the RWE IT man and keen amateur actor Martin Hohendahl turned to RWE Companius for support. “Whatever we can do ourselves, we do: we sew our own costumes, build and paint our own sets and make our own props – often months in advance,” explains Hohendahl. “With funding from RWE Companius and the hands-on help of all the actors,” he continues, “we were able to paint a whole forest and build a house for grandmother that is actually a rotating set.”

Hohendahl has been involved in amateur theatricals for more than 20 years and founded the Burgaltendorf Theatre Company in the Catholic parish of Burgaltendorf in 2009. The company now has some 20 members who twice a year lay on a whole weekend of theatre. The next such weekend is scheduled for November, when once again all the world will be a stage.