Theatre is in season in Vienna. Then, now and always.

The Burgtheater – or the “Burg” as we theatre connoisseurs affectionately call it and are certainly not referring to the nearby Hofburg – is still, even in the 21st century, the number one house in Vienna for spoken theatre. Small and major scandals have always been part of the theatre in Vienna, which in their days Karl Kraus, Friedrich Torberg and Hans Weigel often took pleasure in mentioning in their works. 

There is always room for a small theatrical scandal, no matter on which stage. Today there may no longer be an Adele Sandrock, who had a liaison with the young writer Arthur Schnitzel in return for a role in a première, no Helene Odilon, who tried to get Girardi, the public’s favourite, admitted into an asylum, and no Katharina Schratt, who was only cast in a role because that is what the Emperor wanted. Today, instead of the riots and boycotts, there are substantial financial scandals, subsidy discussions and the usual debates as to who will succeed who. However this does nothing to mar the cultural enjoyment, especially not in the theatre city of Vienna. But you also have to admit: theatre is very much a question of taste. 

There are numerous theatres in Vienna, nearly all of course German-speaking. There is however also an English-speaking theatre – Vienna’s English Theatre – which is the oldest English language theatre on the European continent and located in the 8th district, not far from the Austria Trend Hotel Rathauspark. 

Please note that the following information about the theatres in Vienna is in German only, as are the performances.