Zell‘s Jedermann 6 - 16 July 2023 | Everyman. The play of the rich man's death

"Jedermann" is back in Zell am See after 100 years: the play was last performed here in 1923. Based on the original prompter's book from 1923, Jedermann will be performed by amateur actors on stage on the forecourt of the Ferry Porsche Congress Center. Look forward to the revival of the theatre in the version by Franz Löser based on Hugo von Hofmannsthal, organised by the Pinzgau Association for the Preservation of Local Traditions.

The story:

Zell am See - 100 years ago

100 years ago, Zell am See was the venue for the first Jedermann stage in Pinzgau. "The play of the rich man's death" was performed behind the picturesque Rosenberg Castle (today's Zell am See Town Hall) by the citizens of Zell am See. With the exception of "Jedermann", who was played by Friedrich Jores - a accomplished Salzburg actor, only Zell citizens acted on stage as amateur actors. "Not a community theatre play, but a great folk play in which the whole village is involved." This was the motto in 1923, and that's exactly how it was put into practice.

In addition to the leading characters, there were many extras dressed in original costumes, including members of the costume preservation society "D'Kitzstoana" and the local brass band "Zeller Bürgermusik". About 150 people were involved in the performance. The dialect version by Franz Löser was performed, a play rewritten in dialect based on Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Hofmannsthal was obviously very pleased with the local version; after all, he personally approved and okayed it.

The play with a common touch in "natural dialect" as well as the magnificent natural stage ensured sold-out seats at every performance. Probably also due to the prevailing high inflation of the 1920s, the audience could easily empathise with the characters of the spurned, poor woman as well as the poor neighbour. The company of actors from Zell also made a guest appearance in the city of Salzburg to perform their specially rehearsed play in aid of the fight against tuberculosis in Salzburg. 

The plot:

The rich man's death

Having turned away from God, with a pure belief in wealth and earthly possessions, Jedermann (Everyman) lived seemingly quite contentedly. "Jedermann" is – in other words - everyone. In order to warn humanity and revert it back to faith, God sends Death to take Jedermann. This is supposed to show that even the richest person must defer to Death. In the course of the play, Jedermann experiences several stations that put his character to the test: be it the poor neighbour who asks him for a small donation or his own mother who begs him to live a more Christian live. Jedermann fails all these tests. In the end, however, he has to prove at the gates of heaven that he is worthy of entering heaven. In his search for evidence of good deeds in his life, his closest fellow human beings abandon him and he is mocked by "Mammon" - the personification of wealth. The two weakened sisters, "Faith" and "Good Deeds", finally help Jedermann to prove himself worthy of heaven; to the detriment of the Devil, who was already waiting for him in purgatory.