Light and darkness in the Mystery Dramas
Interview with Stefan Hasler, leader of the section of performing arts and eurythmist.
What moves you when you look at the Mystery Dramas under the aspect of light and dark?
The Mystery Dramas are an attempt by Rudolf Steiner, to understand relationships through incarnations and the different relations from the understanding of other lives. In this sense, there are so many passages in these dramas that one first experiences as dark and then in retrospect turn out to be light, or other passages that one thinks are now clear and beautiful but then turn out to be really problematic. From this point of view, in relation to light and dark, I learn each time anew to look at life situations with a really open view.
How does Rudolf Steiner make light and dark experienceable?
He does it in such a way by presenting the elemental forces of Lucifer and Ahriman as beings, and the human being encounters, in conversation, the challenges brought by these forces, which always appear differently and so, even though there are always ambiguities, there are in certain other places absolute clarities. For example, Lucifer throughout the four dramas, appears in each scene in a different version of himself, in a different situation of reference. Is he in the interior of man, is he appearing as an opposite, is he in the seduction? These are all aspects to consider. From these positions, he explains certain things, but also confuses many things.
Do you have a favorite character?
No, I don’t, but the character I'm most involved with now is the role I play, which is Johannes’ double. He fascinates me in the way Steiner portrays him, because he is really connected to all of these beings. The double is very close to Johannes in a certain sense, but is also foreign to him. The double is something like a little brother who picks him up, full of drive and passion, and yet wants to help him further to higher things. There are so many different levels to this figure and it fascinates me at the moment.
What do you experience as light or dark in terms of the social aspects during the rehearsals for this performance cycle?
We're all experiencing these kinds of existential questions that are in the dramas, which affect not just the characters on stage, but each and every one of us. That can give way to conversations that are really gratifying and open to dimensions of the other person that wouldn't necessarily reveal otherwise. There are also situations that are insanely difficult because most of the performers are freelancers, who are those in the society most affected by the pandemic. That means that their life situations have been so complicated, stressful and burdened throughout the year, that the question for many is simply whether it fits into their lives at all to have rehearsals and performances. Add illnesses to that and all of the difficulties with local regulations and personal convictions, bringing everyone into further conflict. The tension level is insanely high. We try to deal with it every day and make the best of it; with some reshuffling and rehearsal situations that are way too short, we all want to play!
Photographer: Georg Tedeschi, 2016