Other theatres in Vienna


Public subsidies for major stages and festivals are not as a rule limited to defined time periods. However, regulatory reforms undertaken by the City of Vienna in recent years  introduced a programme framework under which small and medium-sized theatres as well as independent drama companies can apply for grants extending over a four-year period. This is offered in addition to project-specific support , which is granted for individual projects for one or two years.

Among the small and medium-sized theatres which receive multi-year subsidies, the Schauspielhaus Wien , Theater Drachengasse , Rabenhof Theater and Theater an der Gumpendorfer Strasse (TAG) work predominantly on productions of their own, whereas Tanzquartier Wien, brut, Theater Nestroyhof Hamakom and Werk X are active mainly as co-producers with independent companies.

Schauspielhaus Wien

The Schauspielhaus is located on Porzellangasse in Vienna’s 9th district and was founded in 1978. It was masterminded for many years by Hans Gratzer (1978-86, 1991-2001), who went on to become director of the Theater in der Josefstadt. Other prominent directors who staged plays there were George Tabori (“Der Kreis” 1987-90)  Airan Berg and Barrie Kosky, who now runs the Komische Oper Berlin

World and local premieres have been a prominent feature of the Schauspielhaus programmes since the 1990s. Under director Andreas Beck it was also a theatre that encouraged young playwrights and promoted their work. From 2023, the current artistic director Thomas Schweigen will be succeeded by an interdisciplinary management team with Marie Bues, Martina Grohmann, Tobias Herzberg and Mazlum Nergiz.

The Schauspielhaus engages in exchanges of guest performances with other small and medium-sized stages in Austria under the label “Theaterallianz” . Its partners in this network include the Theater Phönix in Linz, the Schauspielhaus Salzburg , the Theater KOSMOS Bregenz , the klagenfurter ensemble and the Theater am Lend in Graz.

Theater Drachengasse

The Theater Drachengasse was founded in 1981 by later Volkstheater director Emmy Werner  and focuses mainly on contemporary drama with a focus of production with women in leading parts. It is headed at present by director Kathrin Schurich.

Rabenhof

The Rabenhof Theater is located in the “Rabenhof” public housing complex in Vienna’s 3rd district, which was built in 1927. The venue, which housed a cinema from the 1930s to the 1970s, was intermittently used as an additional stage by the Theater in der Josefstadt in the 1990s. The Rabenhof has been headed by Thomas Gratzer since 2003.

TAG

The Theater an der Gumpendorfer Straße (TAG) was founded in 2005 as a collaborative project by several independent theatre companies . Located in Vienna’s 6th district, the venue previously served as a stage for the now defunct Gruppe 80.