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Fans of the Lake Thun Games know that a rain propeller in the stands is not a bad idea. The photo shows the audience in 2019.
KEYSTONE
A thunderstorm brought the Lake Thun Festival to a halt on Saturday evening - the performance of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was postponed at short notice. The late and unclear information given to the audience caused particular annoyance.
On Saturday evening, the Lake Thun Festival had to cancel its performance of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". A short, violent storm with rain and hail made the performance impossible, according to the Organizing Committee (OC). The OC therefore decided at 7.10 pm to postpone the play until Monday - around twenty minutes before the start of the performance.
For many visitors, however, the problem was not the decision, but the communication. The official announcement only appeared on the website shortly before 7.20 pm - when the sky over Thun was already sunny again.
The picture from 2016 shows: When it rains, many guests pull out their umbrellas. The OC canceled the performance last Saturday, even before the entire audience was in the stands.
KEYSTONE
"There were people who were on their way to the site and then found out from passers-by that the performance had been postponed," one spectator told blue News. Even outside the festival grounds, many guests - well wrapped up with a tippet or rain jacket - only found out from other visitors that the musical would not be performed.
According to the OC, the information was announced on the site every five minutes from 7.10 pm. At the same time, the website was updated within "5 to 10 minutes".
Additional confusion was caused by bus drivers from the Thun public transport company (STI): some drivers informed passengers of an alleged cancellation before 7 pm.
According to the organizing committee, however, this was a misunderstanding: over the radio, the drivers had heard the deployment of on-call vehicles and jumped to the conclusion that the performance had been cancelled. Drivers had informed guests on their own initiative. The STI wants to sensitize its staff in future.
Bus drivers spread the information that the performance had been postponed before it was officially canceled. This was a "misunderstanding", they say.
ZVG
There was also criticism of the choice of words in the official announcement. One visitor, who had traveled from Schaffhausen in vain, wrote to blue News: "We were very angry as there was no word of regret or apology."
The organizers replied in a statement that announcements should above all be clear and correct. However, they could understand that the language came across as impersonal: "We regret if our approach was perceived by some people as insensitive." They want to review the text modules in future.
The precipitation radar showed how strong the thunderstorm was shortly before the performance.
MeteoNews/ZVG
Nevertheless, on Monday evening, the performance was able to take place as planned on the alternative date with a beautiful sunset and a good atmosphere. Despite the last-minute postponement, the seats were noticeably full.
