The theater was founded 20 years ago by Christa Berger and friends and equipped to bring projects to the stage. Renate Gstöttner has also been there since then. “I don’t know what I would do without her,” says Christa Berger about her long-time helper. If a new costume is needed, if a zipper breaks in the theater’s extensive wardrobe or in the thousands of costumes, an elastic band is suffering from “deterioration” or a seam on the hem has come undone, Renate Gstöttner immediately knows what to do and gets started the sewing machine to get everything back into shape.
“We met 22 years ago through our children in the St. Christophen kindergarten. We liked each other right from the start and met up for one or two coffee chats. “So we got to know each other better and better and I found out that Renate Gstöttner is a trained master tailor,” reports Christa Berger. She didn’t have to ask her new friend long after she founded the theater; Renate immediately started sewing the costumes. The two of them always had great fun driving to the “Müller” in Kritzendorf to buy new fabrics. And Renate’s sewing machine started rattling. Over the last twenty years, hundreds of meters of fabric have been used for around 20 theater stage projects and also for some costumes for the Neulengbach Carnival Guild.
But Renate Gstöttner not only makes, alters, tightens or widens many costumes, she is particularly in demand for last-minute repair work, such as at the vintage fashion show in the Stadtkeller, where buttons had to be quickly sewn on, hems sewn around or unraveled Seams needed to be repaired. “Renate always finds a solution, and sometimes it is a bit unconventional,” laughs Christa Berger and she describes: “For our director at the time, Alfred Rupprecht, the processed substances were far too beautiful, too new. He said this didn’t correspond to the role, a penniless woman wouldn’t wear such new clothes. So what can you do to make the fabric look shabby and old? Renate quickly came up with a solution: she simply threw the things into the pond at her house for several days, then into dark tea and they quickly became shabby, old items of clothing.”
Renate Gstöttner does all of this work on a voluntary basis and as a friendly service. “She’s a pearl,” praises the theater director, who is endlessly grateful to her friend. The two recently joked and noted that they would have the “silver” to celebrate in three years. “We will certainly toast to it, because such a wonderful friendship should be properly celebrated,” says Christa Berger.
