The visitors, including numerous children, were not a little amazed when they saw the impressive scenery of the opera "Königskinder" up close for the first time. A floor covered with "artificial snow", trees made of real wood and a caravan wreck in a winter scene presented a stark contrast to the June heat outside. Just below, in the raised orchestra pit, our costume manufactory and our technical department had exhibited their most beautiful creations for interested visitors. Many visitors took advantage of the opportunity to see such detailed costumes, wigs and scenery from the first minute. Our staff were open to all their questions.

The 45-minute guided tours, which took place every half hour, were also very well attended: Here, interested visitors could not only view the stage with scenery, but also get a glimpse into the technical and administrative departments of our Festspielhaus. Live on site: Director Brigitte Fassbaender spontaneously opened the Passion Play House on her own initiative, where rehearsals for Richard Wagner's "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung" are currently taking place. Interested visitors could thus look over Fassbaender's team's shoulders and in the afternoon take part in an organized tour of the Passion Play House.

Special attention was paid to our little guests: in the small hall, the craft room was opened at the same time as the tours downstairs. In between, there was a small conducting workshop and a fun presentation of the most important instruments of an orchestra.

The orchestra rehearsal hall, which is normally not accessible to spectators, was transformed into a small stage where three of our best singers interpreted demanding arias with piano accompaniment. And that with thunderous applause.

For the technically interested, the production hall was opened. Here, the work steps for building the various stage sets could be observed, which also found great approval. Another special feature: The entire production hall was surrounded by a photo series that documented the individual steps from the construction of the Festspielhaus from 2010 to 2012.

As a crowning finale, some of our orchestra musicians gave a concert lasting about 20 minutes on the large stage in the Festspielhaus. About 350 visitors who stayed until late afternoon could thus already get in the mood for the 2023 Summer Festival. Great applause was then dedicated not only to the musicians, but also to the entire team of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl.