Schauspielhaus Wien at Porzellangasse 19 in the Alsergrund district occupies a basement that once housed a variety club and, from 1913 to 1975, a cinema. Hans Gratzer converted the cinema into a theatre and opened it on 4 May 1978 with Jean Genet's The Balcony. From 1987 to 1990 George Tabori ran his theatre laboratory Der Kreis here. During Gratzer's second directorship, until 2001, the theatre became a stage for world and first performances; among his discoveries was the playwright Werner Schwab. He was followed by Airan Berg and Barrie Kosky with an intercultural programme, Andreas Beck with new writing, and Tomas Schweigen, under whom two productions were invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen in 2016/17. Since 2023/24 a collective has led the theatre.
The Schauspielhaus Wien is Vienna's most important house for contemporary drama — founded in 1978 in a former cinema on Porzellangasse, it has profiled itself as an avant-garde counter-position to the Burgtheater and Akademietheater.
At a glance
- Type
- Theatre
- Location
- Vienna, Austria
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