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In the dressing room, two men miss one blue eye, a third is missing a few teeth. On a plastic plaque on the wall reads: "Pest: dents ready" and "rat's tail is starting." Everyday life in the "Hamburg Dungeon".
Michael Straubinger welcomes me with a solid handshake, pale face and bloodshot eyes past. He is not overtired, but geschminkt well. For nearly five years working as an actor, dancer trained in the dungeon. Straubinger is tall and lean, he wears his costume already. Without the make-up of the face he would probably be invisible by the Hamburg-19th Century can move. The 41-year-old, also in parallel at the Imperial Theater on the Reeperbahn to see is me today, his work shows.
Straubinger, the only all Straubi mention enough for me a black robe and prepares my face for the dungeon steps: Scar on the forehead, bloody nose, and foul Zauselperücke teeth turn me into a good-humored corpse. "The Zahnlack is really nasty. Because people already get scared when you stand next to them," says Straubinger.
Result after the British model "London Dungeon", the Hamburger Horror Gallery in the warehouse district since its opening in 2000, a mix of historical facts, interactive drama and rides. More than 1000 visitors can go to a busy day by professional actors through the dark chapter of history the city of Hamburg.
A repertoire of Pest to pirate
For Straubinger and other employees is scary entertainment hard work. Each handle at the counters must sit each sensor work if a group of visitors from one area to the next change - for high operating every ten minutes. For the individual stations is always a base set drama, everything else is free from the actors improvised. So each actor delivers his own interpretation, and otherwise goes to the visitors.
Horror-QUIZ
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Each actor must play all the positions of plague to pirate speak. The professional dungeon master, not only for their costumes and mask themselves, but must also demonstrate knowledge of human nature to adapt to the constantly changing audience set. Also patience and tact are required, if not to viewers around the idea of taking to deliberately disrupt or even the fear reflex and clear will. Special costumed need the stamina in the summer. Then we can work in the dungeon under the costume and makeup are pretty sweaty. "This is good for losing weight," says Straubinger.
Adroitness and safely move my mentor through the dark corridors, blind prejudice under desks and doors insecure, I stumble behind. "The amazing thing is the dungeon at the mix of drama, history and interaction. You learn a lot about people, because you are playing with their fears." About bustle but it should not. "You have each group of visitors to assess accurately."
In the hallway smell modrig before us on the table, the dummy Pestkranken with an open abdomen. Straubinger pick almost casually, the institutions, while he raves that he is the Acting feel like a little boy: "I want out and just play."
"I will now like a little gaga"
The first group of visitors approaching. Straubinger said, where I should stand up. "Not surprised, I am now a bit gaga," he says with a grin. And already, he is no longer Straubi but Hermann, the arsonists. "Feueeeeeer," he screams and rushes to the door of the area where visitors wait. Hermann rowing with the arms, just teetering on the audience over and tells his story of the Great Fire of Hamburg.
Just four days raged in May 1842 a huge fire, especially in the old town, which is largely destroyed. Over 50 people lost in the flames of their lives, more than twice as many were injured and around 20,000 left homeless in Hamburg. Until now the causes of the fire unknown. But in Dungeon explained to Hermann Ragefire. "I was there, the fire has died," he calls from a wall down and giggles happily. Some visitors laugh artificial, but others are visible from the performance capture.
"Many think Hermann is funny. But Hermann is deadly, he says what he says. Who understands, laughs not," says Straubinger. How about an old friend, he talks about his art piece. In the next room, the "chamber of agony," Hermann is no more arsonists, but a crazy torturer. Women locked in the cage, shackled to chairs men threatened with castration.
Fear scream as a reward
Now I also play the first time the power of my mask. I stand motionless in the corner. "Is this real?" Whimpered a visitor uncertain. A jerky head rotation makes him wince. I bare the teeth, the eyes rotate, shuffle to visitors. A woman flees from me - their scream is my reward. When I later in full costumes leave the building to fetch me my lunch, laugh at some people on the street over the corpse, which carries a salad plate.
At the "Elevator of horror", the entrance to the dungeon is, plays the inquisitive Straubinger Hermann. Here visitors can learn at least a bit. He speaks with the people, she agrees to drive his joke with them. At the same time he respects the fact none too much be expected. A frightened schoolgirl he discreetly and caring to the side, makes it clear: Everything okay, everything is played.
I am adopted by Straubinger and schminke me. Past the pirate pockmarked, with bloody fingers of an SMS to his mobile phone type, past the ghosts in their smoking break in the stairway, I am back in the gray afternoon hamburgers. After half a day as a frontier between fear and fun. Schön das was on both sides of the mask.
