Interview with Tilman Schillinger, Actor and Director (Excerp)
© 2001
The actor and director studied at the Max-Reinhard Institut in Vienna and at the Conservatoire d’Art Dramatique inParis.
His first stage appearance was at the legendary Viennese Burgtheatre in Austria, where the guy from the ‘Pfalz’ shone in the Peter
Zadek directed production “Medea”. After a further engagement at the city theatre Giessen, he got his first taste of directing when
he opened the “Varieté of Joy” in Berlin. Unfortunately there was a lack of sponsors and after a long run of “Faust” and a not so
long run of a self-composed comedy “Varieté of Joy” was closed again. Tilmann than went to SAT 1, played for two years in the soap
opera “Unter uns” (Among us) and became famous as Bernd, the plumber. Tilmann has joined TEV (Theatre of Eternal Values) in 1996,
when he delighted audiences as ‘Punchinello’ and ‘Cleante’ in The Imaginary Invalid. He then produced his own play, Hamlet - the Film,
a study about the science of madness, and also directed Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Tilmann, what are you doing these days?
Right
now I’m enjoying being a father. Two children under two keeps you very busy. Darshan, the oldest, loves to climb up his favourite
tower, which is from our couch onto the piano, and fall from there to the floor. Little Priti drinks, cries, sleeps and smiles sometimes.
Darshan likes to beat her with the watering can on her head which not only hurts, but it also leaves big bumps.
Is that enough
for you or will you play in some theatres too?
Right now I’m playing in a really great improvisation theatre group with the impossible
name „Freegame 38 Ue n. N“. I also got two very nice jobs during our rehearsals for the Magic Flute in Vienna. The first one
is working as a coach for my old soap opera "Unter Uns" (Among us). I train young performers and teach them the ABC of acting.The
second job is in a comedy show. It has not yet been decided if they going to produce it. We made two episodes last year and
they will be broadcast this month. They will ask the audience for their opinion and then they will decide if it is to become a permanent
show.
Any plans for a new theatre production like “Hamlet - the Film”?
Oh no, that experience was far too expensive. I spent
all the money I had made as a soap actor. I should have delegated responsibilities and not tried to do everything alone and of course
I shouldn’t have spent my own money. That made me nervous and if you as a producer are nervous than all of a sudden everyone feels
like that.
Mozart's Magic Flute didn't sound like a piece of cake either. Was it as difficult as the rehearsal for “The Imaginary
Invalid?“
Yes, no, yes, no, may be, well, yes! Again we had no money, 75 people who had to come over the big sea, and than this rain.
So much rain, you can’t believe how much rain. So much that we had to scream to each other when we rehearsed in the hangar. Mud!!!
The way to the transportable toilets was a sliding adventure. But again great people, deep personalities, strong vibrations. I really
want to thank everyone who joined this project, it was a hard time for most of us! And the worst is: we’re gonna continue.