About the work
“Puls!” is a play by the Viennese writer Arad Dabiri, written as a commission for the Burgtheater. It premiered on 2 October 2026 at the Kasino am Schwarzenbergplatz, directed by Saliha Shagasi. Following “Druck!” and “Angst!”, it is another Dabiri play whose title ends with an exclamation mark.
Plot
Three school friends, Milo, Malik and Aria, roam Vienna and watch their fathers lose control, fall silent and be absent when they are needed most. The sons want to do better and break the cycle that trapped their grandfathers and fathers. Their escapes into drinking and partying, however, leave them only with a racing heart and a sense of emptiness. The story unfolds across three stages of life, from kids to boys to men.
Cultural significance
At its centre is the question of masculinity: physical strength, sexual identity and the way men relate to one another. Dabiri said he drew on experiences from his own circle rather than on theoretical literature.