It will probably be quite a while before we get used to what politicians are so fond of calling the "new normal". But not only do we have to get used to the necessary changes in our daily lives, we also have to adapt - until there is an effective therapy or vaccination against the Corona virus - in some areas in order not to have to do without it completely. This applies very much to the area of culture, which has now been at an almost complete standstill for several weeks. But now there is good news from Frankfurt: At the Jahrhunderthalle there will be THE entertainment hotspot of the Rhine-Main region in summer 2020: The STAGE DRIVE Kulturbühne!
Festivals, concerts and shows as we know them will be cancelled or postponed to next year until further notice. Culture really only takes place on the net at the moment. But this can be neither for the audience, nor for the artists, a permanent state. And this is exactly where the new project of the Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt comes in: In order to counteract the cultural standstill for the residents of the Rhine-Main region and to make culture an experience again in community, the STAGE DRIVE Kulturbühne FrankfurtRheinMain will be launched from 22 May 2020.
The concept is in principle very similar to that of the drive-in cinemas, which are currently mushrooming, with one major difference: at the STAGE DRIVE Kulturbühne, the focus is clearly on live shows from the entertainment sector. To kick off on 22 May, for example, cabaret artist Urban Priol ponders "Lockdown, Shutdown and Showdown of the wondrous weeks of insanity in the pandemic political circus".
Initiated by the Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt, an alliance of competence and business enterprises from the Rhine-Main region has joined forces to save a piece of culture with the STAGE DRIVE Kulturbühne FrankfurtRheinMain via the "Corona Summer". In addition to the FrankfurtRhineMain business initiative, so far the agency Jazzunique, the Frankfurter Sparkasse, Gonder Facility Services, the gardening and landscaping company Immo Herbst and Jahrhunderthallen brewery partner Braustübl´ participated in making the project a success within a very short time.
With strict adherence to the necessary safety specifications and rules of conduct, the large parking lot at the Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt will be transformed into an entertainment arena for around 300 cars. A stage, framed by two 50 sqm LED screens, forms the setting for live shows and formats from the most diverse entertainment areas. Comedy events, readings, live podcasts, concerts, DJ events, cinema screenings, family entertainment and corporate events are planned. The sound transmission works by means of a VHF frequency directly on the car radio.
The S-Promotion Event GmbH, as one of the leading event agencies with the focus on comedy entertainment, goes as a program partner to the start with a colorful bouquet of comedians and cabaret artists. In addition to the premiere event with Urban Priol on May 22, performances by Bülent Ceylan, Nicolai Friedrich, Willy Astor, Erkan & Stefan, Florian Schroeder, Hannes Ringlstetter, Nicolette, Ingo Appelt and the Kikeriki Theater have been confirmed so far. The presale takes place exclusively online and started on Friday, May 8.
Further concerts and shows are already in the pipeline and will be updated daily on https://www.jahrhunderthalle.de/stagedrive/programm.
The goal of STAGE DRIVE is to make culture something people can experience again. As creative as the cultural offerings are that are offered online right now, they cannot replace the real live feeling. The STAGE DRIVE cultural stage will also be different, like live concerts in the Jahrhunderthalle. Nevertheless, this offer is a nice alternative to living room concerts: live, real, with event character and still completely low-risk.
Another important aspect is that the existentially threatened event industry - event organizers, service providers and artists - gets a (new) field of activity in this time of crisis and can thus secure jobs over the summer months. "Together with our great partners, we have designed and realised the STAGE DRIVE cultural stage on the grounds of the Jahrhunderthalle within a very short time. On the one hand, to offer artists and service providers a platform and perspective, and on the other hand, to provide positive impulses for the people in the region during these tense times and to provide long-awaited variety," says Moritz Jaeschke, Managing Director of the Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt. "The STAGE DRIVE cultural stage is at the same time a platform for Frankfurt companies and institutions from the Rhine-Main region to present and position themselves. Anyone who is curious is welcome to contact us at any time." animates Jaeschke.
Information, program and ticket links to the STAGE DRIVE Kulturbühne FrankfurtRheinMain is available at: www.jahrhunderthalle.de/stagedrive
