Cue for Salzburg's most important voice: "Jeeedeeermaaan!"

We meet Gottfried Seer for a short walk through the Festival district and listen to the retired travelling salesman and passionate gardener as he talks about his years at the Festival, providing insight into a simple yet captivatingly complex task. 

Mr. Seer, first of all: do you feel the job of Jedermann caller is a part-time job, a hobby or a passion?

It's a passion. The play fascinates me, it has so many layers and is basically timeless. I'll tell you, there will always be crooks. (laughs)

How did you get this job?

In 2000, an acquaintance of mine, a family doctor and trained opera singer, organised a calling competition. I won it. The following year I went to a voice casting on the Domplatz. At that time Gerry (Gernot) Friedl was the director of Jedermann. He listened to the participants and divided them into groups. Suddenly he said, "And which one is the one the doctor sent me?" Then I had to step forward and shout. The rest is history. Since then I haven't missed a single performance and today I'm the "longest serving". (thinks) But maybe it also started back then, when I yodelled on the mountain pasture at the age of four. My mother was a dairymaid. 

How do I imagine the "duty" as an everyman caller?

We are a team of four men with a few substitutes. Most of the callers are students who earn extra money building the stage in the summer. I stand on the balcony of the tower of the Franciscan church and am the first to call out the famous "Jedermann". Two others stand in the cathedral arches and one stands on the so-called "Katze" [cat], a hill between the cathedral and the fortress. If the performance takes place in the Festspielhaus because of rain, there are four of us there too. Then I'm allowed to stand in the back gallery – with the doors open and two metres back, so that it doesn't get too loud for the audience. (winks)

The tower of the Franciscan Church – that is a very special place to work?

Yes, the most beautiful! With exactly 200 steps to get there. I always say that if you walk around the balcony once, you have the shortest city tour with the most beautiful view. Looking down on the course of the Salzach river ... simply beautiful. On a clear day I can even see as far as the Innviertel [region of Upper Austria]. And of course, I also see when a thunderstorm is approaching. Sometimes I'm asked through my radio: "Gottfried, what's it look like?" (laughs) By now I can tell from the flags on the fortress how the weather is developing. And then you mustn't forget that for the performances at the Domplatz, air traffic is diverted over the festival district and no foreign bells are allowed to sound. That is already a special atmosphere.

You need your voice as a tool all summer long. How long does the Festival last for you personally and how do you preserve your voice?

Basically, the work begins in mid-July, then there is about a week of intensive rehearsals. Depending on the season, up to 14 performances follow. During this time, i.e. from mid-July to the end of August, I naturally take care of my voice. There's no shouting at the football match and no yodelling on the mountain pasture (laughs). That also has to do with respect for the task, that you pay attention. That's why I've never had to cancel a performance because I was hoarse. And I also know that if I direct my call at the middle of the Cathedral façade, the echo helps me and carries my voice everywhere. 

After so many years – surely you've experienced a number of mishaps? 

Not that many, the team is very professional and the process is a well-oiled machine. But I can remember one time when I almost didn't make it to the assignment because the bus was late. I ran from the town hall bus stop over to the technicians' container to pick up my radio and up the 200 steps of the church tower. When I got to the top I was just in time – but I was so out of breath that my first call was rather restrained (laughs).

A quick question at the end: who was your favourite Jedermann? 

Peter Simonischek. He came up to me and immediately said, "I'm Peter." A great person and artist.