Dirk Stermann is embarking on a solo mission for the first time with his new cabaret “Gemeinbraut”. Instead of in the usual formation with Christoph Grissemann, with whom he moderates the weekly talk show “Welcome Austria”, he will be alone on the stage of Vienna’s Rabenhof Theater for the premiere on Wednesday (October 12). As in this year’s novel “Maksym”, the focus is on father qualities – this time once morest the backdrop of his daughter’s wedding.
APA: What can you expect from the new program “Together”?
Dirk Stermann: The wish is that it’s a funny program, even though it’s very tragic.
APA: Your novel “Maksym” is also regarding Dirk Stermann. Are Dirk Stermann in the book and Dirk Stermann in the cabaret the same person?
Stermann: Dirk Stermann in the cabaret is a harder version of Dirk Stermann in the book, but the book and the program are related. The book is regarding the little son, on stage it’s regarding the big daughter and one’s own reckoning with the role of father. But as fiction. Of course I was an incredibly good father, but Dirk Stermann on stage was not.
APA: What kind of father was he?
Stermann: He was a very egocentric, vain father. Much less likeable than I am in real life, because personally I’m an incredibly likeable person (laughs). The man on the stage is a bit desperate, he’s got a little something. That evening it becomes clear why he gives a wedding speech but is not even invited to the wedding.
APA: So you present yourself with negative sides in the book as in the cabaret. Why did you decide to do that?
Stermann: I’ve always suffered from the fact that people who are in public present themselves very well. These people are sort of Photoshopping their own lives. I’ve always been interested in those who portray themselves badly, maybe even worse than they actually are. Even when we started at radio, at Ö3, everyone there always acted as if they were happy peppy cool dudes. We always said we were old, horrible, rich – I found it more interesting to assign unpleasant characteristics to ourselves.
APA: Is it now important to you to address the role of father?
Stermann: The book is a bit of an pamphlet for fatherhood. On stage it doesn’t seem like being a dad is cool. As a person, I’m always a fan of having children.
APA: Were you a modern dad yourself?
Stermann: It really can’t be. My father was not a modern father; I don’t know where I got that from. But for me it is not a consideration to spend time with the child, but an instinct. My father didn’t have that instinct. I didn’t have a modern image of men, but I had to learn to cook and I think it’s good that I can do it. My father might only make fried eggs. Very bad and always burned.
APA: “Maksym”, which was created before the Ukraine war, is regarding a crude Ukrainian babysitter. Are Ukrainians still stereotyped today?
Stermann: Yes, you can. My impression of him is a cliche impression. Before the war, the Ukrainians were stereotyped as bull-necked Eastern Europeans. The book is actually regarding: Don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with Maksym – he is what he looks like, but also different. At the same time he has a kind of toxic masculinity that you don’t have anymore, which I don’t have either. But somehow it also has an appeal to transport a different image of men: that one is clear, decides and takes an ax in his hand.
APA: Why did you decide to play cabaret without Christoph Grissemann?
Stermann: Because then you earn twice as much. No (laughs). Because now it’s time to do something alone on stage. It’s not entirely clear to me – and that’s also an attraction – whether I like it or not. I may be missing someone all the time. But it’s also possible that I really like it because I’m not constantly interrupted.
APA: Do you feel the need to stand out from the “Stermann & Grissemann” brand?
Stermann: When you start, you don’t have a concept of time and you think you’re young anyway. At some point, however, you realize that life is racing, and sometimes we end up in a double grave. I feel like I want to fight for my lonely grave.
APA: How is the relationship between you two?
Sterman: Good. I respect him very much and he is someone who can surprise me – on stage and on TV, in every direction.
APA: “Welcome Austria” has been running for 15 years. Do you see anything new on the show?
Stermann: In fact, it’s always new. A first week following week following week because you never know what’s going to happen. The good thing regarding the show is that things can always happen that surprise us all. It’s psychologically demanding, because somehow there’s also the desire for something to happen. I’m always pretty exhausted followingwards. I then come home as if I had worked eight hours or a week.
APA: Are you still nervous regarding a new program?
Stermann: Yes, there are. I make the claim that the program is fun and interesting, that it is worth spending money on. This statement always makes me a little embarrassed. It’s only when I’ve done it a few times and see that people like it that I relax and it starts to be fun. I’m not vain enough to say that everything I do is great. I have to convince myself of that first.
(The interview was conducted by Ines Garherr/APA)
(ABOUT PERSON: Dirk Stermann was born in Duisburg in 1965 and has lived in Vienna since 1987. He has worked for the ORF since 1988. With Christoph Grissemann he forms the satirist duo “Stermann & Grissemann”, together they have been moderating the talk show “ Welcome Austria”. In 2010 Stermann published his first novel “Six Austrians among the first five”, this year “Maksym” was published.)
Premiere of Dirk Stermann’s “Together” on October 12th at Vienna’s Rabenhof Theater, rabenhoftheater.com