Heinrich v. Kleist
The Wortwiege classic: fireworks of language about a murderous love affair
Dates: 27 February to 21 March
Helmut Qualtinger & Carl Merz
An abysmal comedy about human nature and the Austrian soul
Dates: 25 February to 22 March
Helmut Qualtinger & Carl Merz
The suppressed masterpiece about the Ringtheater fire
Dates: Fri 27, Sat 28, Sun 29 March
Korhan Basaran
Physical theatre, dance, music and video art about a fallen angel
Dates: Wed 25 & Thu 26 March
Fox on Ice
A theatrical concert based on Homer’s ‘Iliad’ – with Georg Danek and Michael Köhlmeier
Dates: Fri 20 & Sat 28 March
Karl Kraus & Franz Schuh
A reader’s theater by Karl Kraus and Franz Schuh
Date: Sat 28 February
The inaugural addresses of three very different American presidents
Date: Fri 6 March
National Socialism and its antidote – with Heinrich Himmler and Hannah Arendt
Date: Sat 21 March
Renowned guests think out loud on the annual motto “Ungeheuer… ist viel”. With Daniela Strigl, Klaus Theweleit, Florian Scheuba, Lisz Hirn, Jonas Grethlein and others.
Dates: Sun 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 March
Playful knowledge test with quizmaster Jérôme Junod
Dates: Tue 3 & Wed 24 March
Theatre-making up close: intensive workshop on two Saturday afternoons
Dates: Sat 7 & 14 March
19:00
Play introduction
19:00
Play introduction
“Wonders are many, and none is more wondrous than man.” – the famous Antigone quote is the fuse for a programme about the monstrous dual nature of man: With the two abysmal social comedies by Qualtinger/Merz and a new exploration of the myth of Troy, from Homer and Kleist’s Penthesilea to contemporary music and dance theatre, a brand new dramatic reading by Franz Schuh on Karl Kraus, the theatre series Reden! and dialog formats with guests such as Klaus Theweleit, Daniela Strigl, Florian Scheuba, Raimund Löw, Lisz Hirn, Michael Köhlmeier, Barbara Toth and Konrad-Paul Liessmann, the festival opens a contemporary agora in the historic Kasematten of Wiener Neustadt.
We are currently encountering truly monstrous things at an incomprehensible speed. The excitement level is high and we are stunned by the rapid changes in our world. And yet we suspect: Nothing about this is entirely new; rather, it raises the old question once again: How can the human creature be hideously destructive and tremendously inventive and visionary at the same time? And isn’t that precisely where hope lies, despite everything?
Anna Luca Krassnigg
(Artistic Director)
Once an archaic defensive structure from the Renaissance, the Kasematten Wiener Neustadt impress with their harmonious underground vaults and create a world of its own for the Wortwiege Festival. A “radiant darkness”, as it was described in an architectural review in the newspaper “derStandard”.
The heart of the Kasematten and entrance to the festival is the “Strada Coperta” – the vaulted street where the guns used to be driven up. Three huge, interconnected barrel vaults with a room height of 8 meters form the stage for theatre performances and salons of the Wortwiege Festival.
Wiener Neustadt, founded in 1192 by the Babenberg dynasty as a fortified “Neuenstat” and later elevated to imperial residence, today combines history with an active cultural scene and a lively city center. With the revitalization of cultural venues such as the Kasematten, the Museum St. Peter an der Sperr and the newly opened Stadttheater, Wiener Neustadt’s cultural offerings have become much more attractive. In addition to the Wortwiege Festival, a wide range of events take place here, including the Bösendorfer Festival, the Milch & Honig Festival, the Kultursommer Wiener Neustadt, the Literature Festival and a varied programme of cabaret, concerts and theatre performances.
