Theatre innovators, Faust and a pen

On occasion of the innovative Young Directors Project at the Salzburger Festspiele from 27 July to 30 August 2011 in Austria, Montblanc has released a special pen as a tribute to the theatre innovator Max Reinhardt, who founded the festival in 1920 together with composer Richard Strauss, stage designer Alfred Roller, and the director of the Vienna Hofoper Franz Schalk.

The tiger's eye gemstone of the 'Hommage à Max Reinhardt' pen shows scenes from Goethe's 'Faust' (first staged in Salzburg by Reinhardt in 1933). 'Faust' was played until the National Socialist party in 1937 controlled the cultural life in Austria to seize power with an own program - many of the artists were banned from work and had to emigrate such as Max Reinhardt who moved to US, where he directed already in 1935 the famous movie 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (after William Shakespeare) with James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Olivia de Havilland, etc.

Since 2002, Montblanc is the general sponsor of the festival's Young Directors Project, where innovative international theatre companies are invited by Montblanc to present new productions. A percentage of the purchase of the pen is used for additional support of the theatre project in Salzburg.

A jury consisting of actors such as Birgit Minichmayr (starring in the role of 'Paramour' in Jedermann), a journalist and the president of the Salzburger Festspiele, Dr. Helga Rabl-Stadler, select the winner of the Montblanc Young Directors Award (founded 2002) from five productions.

Over two days, all five performances can be viewed; such as the one of the Belgian group 'Ontroerend Goed' which interacts in 'A Game of You' with the viewer and makes him/her seeing herself in a new way; or the US company 'The Team' which stages a scenery of contemporary culture and travels back in time to the history of the United States under the title 'Mission Drift'...




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