Text: Johanna Fußenegger
The text was published in issue 3 (6/26).
Reading time 3 Min.
Rocket Made of Wood
Who did not want to send someone to the moon at least once? In the workshops of the Bregenzer Festspiele, that very idea is becoming reality: The stage set for Leoš Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr. Brouček is taking shape there, complete with a flyable house, involuntarily catapulting its inhabitant into outer space.
A man who simply longs for peace and quiet suddenly finds himself on the moon. Shortly thereafter, he returns to Earth, only to arrive in medieval Prague. What sounds like a fever dream becomes reality at the Bregenzer Festspiele: For the first time, Leoš Janáček’s rarely performed opera The Excursions of Mr. Brouček comes to the Große Saal of the Festspielhaus. The stage design for this satirical masterpiece is spectacular—even for the team bringing it to life.
“When I saw the stage design presentation, I thought: ‘Wow, if we can pull this off, it will definitely be impressive,’” says Shantira Kosol. She works in the carpentry workshop of the Bregenzer Festspiele and is building the house that unwillingly carries Brouček to the moon before plunging with him into 15-century Prague. The challenge: The construction must not be too heavy yet still provide stability.
In the opera’s first act, the nearly five-meter-high house transforms into a rocket, catapulting the astonished Matěj Brouček into outer space. For the self-satisfied bourgeois, this is where the adventure begins.
Long before its grand appearance, the house has already passed through several exciting stages: Its individual components were first designed as a 3D model in a CAD program, then cut out using a CNC milling machine. The supporting wooden frames were subsequently clad using lightweight construction methods—insulation panels bonded with thin wooden sheets form the floor, side walls, and roof of the house. “We call it a sandwich panel,” Shantira explains. In the carpentry workshop and an external assembly hall in Dornbirn, the team produced all the wooden elements for the stage sets.
The annually changing opera at the Festspielhaus and the elaborate scenery of the Seebühne continually bring variety and new challenges. To ensure that Brouček’s home can actually “fly,” the team devised a simple yet effective solution: The house is bolted onto the lifting mast of a forklift truck. The mechanism was slightly modified and can now rotate and tilt the house. A rear wall made of solid wood provides the necessary stability. The unfinished structure alone already weighs 600 kilograms.
Wow, if we can pull this off, it will definitely be impressive
Since early May, the basic structure of the house has been completed and painted black, with gray window frames added. Inside, the upholstery department is covering the walls with a gray pattern—the same fabric used for Brouček’s armchair. Even the television scarcely stands out against it: The overall image feels staid and monotonous, reflecting Brouček’s outlook on life.
The completed stage set will be seen for the first time at the premiere on 23 July 2026. By then, the house will have completed its journey through the workshops of the Bregenzer Festspiele and be ready for The Excursions of Mr. Brouček.
The Excursions of Mr. Brouček
Leoš Janáček
23 July 2026 – 7.30 p.m. Premiere
Festspielhaus, Großer Saal
The performance on 3 August includes live audio description for blind and visually impaired audiences.
