Jedermann at the Salzburg Festival

At a glance

The essentials of seeing Jedermann, with a flag on the details that change each year and should be checked against the official programme.

• What: Hofmannsthal's morality play 'Jedermann' (Everyman), the Salzburg Festival's signature production since 1920.
• Where: open-air on Domplatz, in front of Salzburg Cathedral, in the heart of the Old Town.
• When: during the Salzburg Festival, late July into August; check the official schedule for this year's dates and times.
• Language: performed in German; familiarise yourself with the story in advance if your German is limited.
• Weather: open-air and weather-dependent — performances move indoors to a Festival hall if rain threatens.
• Tickets: via the official Salzburg Festival box office; book early, as the open-air seats are highly sought-after.
• Verify: exact dates, start times, cast and prices change annually — confirm on the official source.

What Jedermann is — and why it matters so much

Jedermann is the soul of the Salzburg Festival. When Max Reinhardt, Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Richard Strauss founded the Festival in 1920, the very first performance was Hofmannsthal's 'Jedermann' — 'The Play of the Rich Man's Death', a modern reworking of the medieval morality play 'Everyman'. It tells of a wealthy man at the height of his pleasures who is suddenly summoned by Death and must reckon with his life; his money, his friends and his worldly goods all desert him, and only Faith and Good Works can accompany him at the end. More than a century later, it is still performed every Festival, and it remains the production by which the whole season takes its emotional measure.

What lifts it from a famous play to an unforgettable event is the staging. Jedermann is performed open-air on Domplatz, the cathedral square, with the great Baroque façade of Salzburg Cathedral rising directly behind the stage and the fortress floodlit above. As the drama reaches its climax, the cry of 'Jedermann!' is called out across the square from the surrounding rooftops, the cathedral and the fortress, so that the architecture of the city itself seems to summon the title character to his death. To sit on that square at dusk, with the stone glowing and the voices echoing off the domes, is one of the genuinely great theatrical experiences in Europe.

Domplatz — the setting and what it gives the play

Domplatz is the ceremonial heart of the left bank, the square laid out in front of the cathedral and ringed by arcades, with the Virgin's Column at its centre and the fortress on the hill above. For most of the year it is simply one of Salzburg's grandest open spaces; during the Festival it becomes the most evocative theatre in the city. The banked open-air seating faces a stage set against the cathedral, so the building is not a backdrop you happen to notice — it is part of the production, lit and used so that the play and the place become inseparable.

That fusion of drama and architecture is why a Jedermann ticket feels different from any indoor seat. The light changes as the performance runs from late afternoon into dusk; the bells, the towers and the rooftops all play their part; and the open sky above the square gives the story of mortality a scale no roofed theatre can match. It is also why the experience is so bound up with the weather, and why a small amount of planning pays off — which the next sections cover.

Tickets, language and booking

Jedermann tickets are sold through the official Salzburg Festival box office, on the same annual cycle as the rest of the season: the programme is announced ahead of the summer, an ordering window opens, and the open-air seats — among the most coveted of the whole Festival — go early. If Jedermann is the reason for your trip, order the moment sales open and have backup dates in mind. Prices span a range, so there are more affordable seats as well as premium ones; weigh the category against where you will sit on the square.

The play is performed in German, in Hofmannsthal's rich, archaic verse. If your German is limited, do not let that put you off — but do read the story in advance so you can follow the arc: the feast, the summons by Death, the desertion of Everyman's worldly companions, and the final turn toward Faith and Good Works. Knowing the shape of the drama lets the staging, the voices and the setting do their work even without every line. The dedicated tickets guide carries the current mechanics of ordering for the whole Festival, Jedermann included.

Weather, the indoor backup and closures

Because Jedermann is staged in the open air, the weather is part of the deal. On a clear, warm evening the square at dusk is magical; but Salzburg sits at the edge of the Alps and summer storms roll through, so rain is always a possibility. When the forecast threatens, the Festival moves the performance indoors to one of its halls at short notice — the show goes on, but in a roofed theatre rather than on Domplatz. Check the arrangements for your performance, dress for the chance of a cool or damp evening, and bring a wrap; an outdoor seat is wonderful but exposed.

It is also worth knowing that the Jedermann staging affects the square itself. While the seating, stage and set are in place on Domplatz, the normal flow across the square is disrupted, and the area around the cathedral can be partly closed or rerouted during build-up, performances and breakdown. If you are sightseeing in the Old Town during the Festival, expect the cathedral square to look and work differently from the rest of the year — which is part of the spectacle, but worth anticipating if you are trying to photograph the square or reach the cathedral.

Dinner, hotels and timing the evening

Jedermann runs without an interval in the way a long opera does, but it still anchors a full Festival evening, and the timing rewards a little planning. Restaurants in the Old Town book out for the pre- and post-performance windows, so reserve a table the moment you have your start time, and ask whether the kitchen serves late if you want supper afterward. Because the play is on Domplatz, in the very centre of the left bank, a hotel in or beside the Old Town puts both the square and the after-show restaurants within an easy stroll — which matters most on a warm night when the city is busy past midnight.

Aim to arrive at the square in good time: open-air seating fills, the light is part of the experience, and settling in before the performance lets the atmosphere build. Afterward, the walk back through the lamplit Old Town — fortress lit above, the play still in your head — is one of the quiet pleasures of a Festival trip. If a storm forces the production indoors, your central base pays off again: you are close enough to adapt to a last-minute venue change without scrambling across the city.

Common questions

What is Jedermann? Hofmannsthal's morality play 'Everyman', the Salzburg Festival's signature production since its founding in 1920, staged open-air on the cathedral square.

Is it in English? No — it is performed in German. Read the story in advance so you can follow the arc; the staging and setting carry much of the power even if you miss individual lines.

What happens if it rains? The performance moves indoors to a Festival hall at short notice. Check the arrangements for your date and dress for the chance of a cool or damp evening on the open square.

How do I get tickets? Through the official Salzburg Festival box office, on the season's annual cycle. The open-air seats are highly sought-after, so order as soon as sales open.

Where should I sit and stay? A central, left-bank base puts you steps from Domplatz and the after-show restaurants. For seats, weigh price against your position on the square.