Festival spleen*graz

When the whole theater space goes through puberty

The Junges Theater Basel opens the festival with the play "Sing me a Love Song"(Bild: junges theater basel)

The spleen*graz festival, which brings international theater productions for young audiences to Graz, will take place for the 10th time this year from 18 to 24 April. This year, the festival organizers are focusing more than ever on participation and want to appeal to new audiences. 

"For almost all young people today, theater is no longer the first art form they encounter," says Manfred Weissensteiner, who once founded the spleen*graz festival with Hanni Westphal. "But we also know that if young people can become active in the theater themselves, they quickly develop a very intense relationship with the medium."

Interactive plays and a stage for young people
The Spleen Festival already focused on this fact in its first edition in 2006 with its own format. spleen*trieb is the name of the program in which young local artists are given a stage - this commitment has been expanded since the festival premiere. This year's regular festival program also includes many interactive productions outside of spleen*trieb, with the aim of appealing to new audiences.

Not suitable for small children: This "Pinokkio" from Belgium is pretty wild and intended for young people aged 14 and over.(Bild: Pepijn Siddiki)

For example, the dance piece "The Choreography" (for ages 10 and up) from Sweden can be experienced in no fewer than 18 languages. How does it work? Each visitor wears a headset through which instructions are whispered to them in their preferred language, which gets them moving - and everyone ends up dancing.

A total of 31 productions
The children's play "Der Wischmopp des Monsieur Mutt" (from the age of 4), in which a dancer breathes life into everyday objects, also brings the audience on stage. And in the youth play "Body Boom Boom Brain", in which the entire theater space goes through puberty and rebels against the actors, the audience doesn't just sit in the auditorium.

These are just three examples of the 31 productions that can be seen at the festival from April 18 to 24 in Graz. Tickets are available now.