Schwäbisch Hall (dpa / lsw) – Achim Plato, the former director of the open-air theater in Schwäbisch Hall, is dead. He died on October 30 at the age of 86, as the city and the open-air theater in Schwäbisch Hall jointly announced in an obituary. Several media had previously reported.
Plato was at the top of the festival for three and a half decades until 2003. Thanks to his commitment and his pioneering spirit, the open-air theater has become a “first-rate theater festival,” wrote the city and the festival.
In Schwäbisch Hall, professional open-air theater has been performed since 1925 on the historic staircase in front of St. Michael’s Church. In the early seasons, “Jedermann” by Hugo von Hofmannsthal was the only play. From 1949 onwards the repertoire was expanded under artistic director Wilhelm Speidel. From 1968 onwards, pieces were added under director Plato that “addressed secular problems or religious disputes”, as the open-air theater reported on its website.
