New radio play tells Bickenbach's story – premiere with first audio samples on August 29th at the town hall
Bicky the sand hare gets a voice: A new radio play about Bickenbach's symbolic animal tells the story of the town and its special places in an entertaining way. The production will be presented to the public for the first time on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 4 p.m. in the Bickenbach Town Hall's community hall. Visitors can listen to excerpts and accompany Bicky on his journey of discovery.
The story centers on Bicky the sand rabbit, who receives visitors from Bickenbach's two twin towns. Carlo travels from Tricarico in Italy, and Marlène comes from Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu in France. Bicky picks up his two friends at the train station and then shows them his home.
Three hares discover Bickenbach
Together, Bicky, Carlo, and Marlène visit various historical sites and places characteristic of the community. The three rabbits stop by the local history museum, meet the mayor at the hunting lodge, and learn quite a bit about Bickenbach's long history. The sand dunes typical of the area also play a role in the story.
The radio play was conceived and produced by sound engineer Sebastian Spöhr, who studied "Sound, Music and Production" at the University of Darmstadt. For the script, he intensively researched the local history of Bickenbach and spoke with numerous people familiar with the town's past.
Spöhr was supported by, among others, museum director Margit Franz, Christian Herpel, Arnd Terlinden from the Seeheim fairy tale stage, Johannes Mickenbecher, students of the Hans-Quick-School and Mayor Markus Hennemann.
Bickenbach acting group lends its voices to characters
The project also relies on support from the community for the sound design. Members of the Bickenbach acting group 1946 have lent their voices to Bicky, his friends, and other characters.
“A beautiful idea has become a true community project in Bickenbach. Local history is not presented here in a dry manner, but brought to life with humor, characters and stories. I am particularly pleased that so many people from Bickenbach have contributed their knowledge, their voices or their support,” says Mayor Markus Hennemann.
The community project also received financial support from many people. In addition to initial funding from the municipality, a crowdfunding campaign was launched for the radio play. More than 800 euros raised at the Bickenbach yard sale.
“The fact that more than 800 euros were raised for Bicky at the yard sale shows that the idea has resonated with people. My thanks go to everyone who donated, contributed their ideas, researched, and participated in the production,” said Hennemann.
Local history for children and families
The radio play builds upon the audio guides that were created to mark Bickenbach's 1150th anniversary. While the audio guides convey historical information about individual locations, the town's history is now presented as a cohesive narrative with Bicky. This aims to make it accessible to children and families in a new way.
The public presentation of the finished radio play will take place on Saturday, August 29th, at 4 p.m. in the Bürgersaal (civic hall) of the Bickenbach town hall . There, the voices of Bicky, Carlo, and Marlène will be heard together for the first time.
(BICKENBACH – RED/PSB)
