DIE GEIERWALLY

From an early age, Walburga Stromminger is known for doing things that not even the boys her age dare to do. In full view of everyone, she removes a vulture’s nest from a cliff face and, much to her father’s pride, becomes the strongest girl far and wide. And with the vulture, which from then on never leaves her side, she also earns her nickname: Geierwally.

Years later—the fearless girl has long since become a young woman—her father decides who she should marry: Vinzenz Gellner from the wealthy neighboring farm. But Wally, who has already fallen for Bärenjoseph, has no intention of bowing to her father’s will. She wants to decide for herself how—and, above all, with whom—she will spend her life. This refusal has serious consequences: Her father banishes her and sends her far away to a high-altitude alpine pasture. But even there, Wally refuses to be broken. In the mountains, left to fend for herself, with only the vulture by her side, she rises above herself and becomes more independent than ever. When she returns home, she realizes there is no longer a place for her there. For in that world, neither deviation nor disobedience is tolerated.

Wilhelmine von Hillern’s widely adapted best-selling novel tells a story of radical self-determination, social violence, and a woman who refuses to be owned at any cost. Director Julia Prechsl, known for her modern interpretations of folk tales, adapts the material for the stage and reveals what about this defiant heroine remains unsettling and exemplary to this day.