“The regulars’ table must not be lost”

GRUNDLSEE. Talking to one another is the easiest thing in the world. Or so you would think. What used to be common practice at the regulars’ table in pubs is now too often lost in the vastness of social media, where people don’t exchange opinions but spread their opinion as the only truth without having to look anyone in the face. Communications consultant Kira Saskia Schinko, who lives in Linz, longs for the revival of the regulars’ table. The first pub show in Austria, which she conceived, will be launched on June 8 in Grundlsee as part of the Capital of Culture. Four more shows will follow in the autumn.

OÖN: What is the idea behind your pub show?

Kira Schinko: In the past, people would go to pubs because they didn’t have a television and watch TV together. Now I want people to move away from their television at home and into an analogue space because that’s the only place they can find out what’s happening here.

Is that why the show isn’t being recorded?

Exactly. I don’t do it as an end in itself for the traditional cultural audience, but I want to be perceived in such a way that people watch it because it’s funny. It’s not about me performing in front of 5,000 people, but rather offering something that people can come to. That’s why admission is free. People are grateful for an offer.

Why is the regulars’ table so important?

I think the room, the table where I sit with people, needs to be left open. It also needs to be opened again. If I have a job title, I’m probably a table opener (laughs). I’m convinced that we can only overcome the challenges of our time together. We don’t have to have the same opinion, but we need to show respect again in the way we treat each other and express ourselves.

Are you referring to the Internet and its excesses?

I want to use the show to counteract the wildness of the internet. The way people deal with it is too crude for me. I caught myself being very cynical on social media for a while. That annoyed me.

In your opinion, does the classic regulars’ table still have a future?

Of course. If the regulars’ table is lost, the cohesion of society is lost. At the regulars’ table, people form groups around interests; the equivalent of this is the citizens’ initiative.

If a pub closes, the regulars’ table is also lost. How can this be counteracted?

The audience grows with the landlord, everyone is the same age. If that disappears, the regulars’ table disappears too. But it is also said that when seven hunters sit at the regulars’ table, all they talk about is hunting. So what is needed is a non-topical regulars’ table where everyone can get involved. There are many landlords and landlords who are now reviving regulars’ tables and are trying to get the audience back. The savings clubs are still working pretty well, and themed regulars’ tables are also popular, whether it’s about literature or knitting.

What feeling do you want people to have when they leave your pub show?

In the best case, someone leaves and says it was funny or it was a fun evening. For me, a show has a bit more to it than the seriousness of classic discussion shows. It shouldn’t really be about who is there at the time, it should seem random. A certain dynamic has to emerge from a regulars’ table. What I definitely don’t want is the formation of camps. It certainly won’t be an evening where it will be extremely dramatic, in the sense of only one opinion.

Will your concept continue beyond 2024?

Of course I want it to continue. When reusing the concept, it is important to find analogue spaces where we can meet by chance and where everyone can simply go, depending on their mood of the day.

The 1st Wirtshaus Show in Grundlsee

The Rostiger Anker inn in Grundlsee will be having a premiere on June 8th. “The Inn Show #1”, conceived, produced and hosted by Kira Saskia Schinko, will revive the regulars’ table with a mixture of humorous conversations and cabaret. Guests at the first event are Susi Stach and Hosea Ratschiller, and the music will be provided by Sarah Bernhardt. Admission is free, seat reservations required. More about the project at www.wirtshauslabor.at