Graz Theater Festival

A stage for the desire for change

The guest performance at the festival is the play "Juices" by Ewe Benbenek.(Bild: Maximilian Borchardt)

The world is currently characterized by war, destruction and climate change. What could positive change look like? The Graz International Playwrights' Festival explores this question this year from May 21 to 26.  

The war in Ukraine and climate change, the waste of resources and the devaluation of marginalized groups. The current challenges we face as citizens of the world are sometimes so great that we could fall into a state of shock. "That's exactly what we don't want, we want to ask what a positive and creative turnaround could look like," says festival director Edith Draxl from the uniT association.

Full spectrum of the dramatic arts
The festival itself also had to make this turnaround, as the Graz Schauspielhaus has ceased to be the festival's main partner following the departure of co-initiator Iris Laufenberg. Nevertheless, a full program will be offered from 21 to 26 May and the full spectrum of the dramatic arts will be explored.

Graz-based Marta Navaridas and her performers explore the boundaries between fiction and reality in "Manifestations".(Bild: KATI GOETTFRIED)

It starts on May 21 with the "living room readings", for which writers are sent out across the province to transform the parlors of Styrians into literary salons. The official opening on May 22 will be attended by Phyllis Omido, the current winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize, who has dedicated herself to the topic of electronic waste, among other things. 

Guest workers, violence and genetic defects
Numerous award-winning plays can be seen on the stages of the provincial capital at the festival. For example, "Juices" by Ewe Benbenek - the Polish playwright tells the story of the fate of migrant workers. Or "You, Herbert" by Lydia Haider, who uses teletext reports to literarily examine violence against women. Or "Die vielen Stimmen meines Bruders", in which the playwright Magdalena Schrefel deals with the fate of her brother, who loses his voice due to a genetic defect.

"Die vielen Stimmen meines Bruders" can also be seen in Graz.(Bild: Heike Mondschein)

And the traditional drama walks, which allow visitors to explore the current work of young female playwrights, are also back on the program this year.

Projects for young audiences too
In cooperation with Next Liberty and Theater am Ortweinplatz, several projects for young audiences will also be staged. The festival also asks young theater enthusiasts what they would like to see on stage and works with them to develop a "repertoire of the future".

This year, the festival is also entering into a cooperation with the "future.repair.machine" project, which is exploring the question of what a more resource-conserving and sustainable future could look like in several projects in public spaces.

Tickets for the festival are available from April 4.