Drama and musical theatre - the top stages in Tyrol

The Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck is a renowned multi-genre theatre on Rennweg, which offers a varied cultural programme of an international standard from September to July. As the largest cultural institution in western Austria, it combines musical theatre, drama, dance and young theatre and thus inspires a wide audience of all age groups. The varied programme ranges from timeless classics to exciting world premieres. Musical accompaniment is provided by the Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra, which completes the cultural experience with its high artistic standards.

The Tiroler Volksschauspiele Telfs has been offering sophisticated and critical folk theatre for over 40 years and takes place annually in July and August in the market town of Telfs. The festival combines tradition with modernity and presents classics, world premieres and contemporary plays. With around 60 performances and up to 12,000 visitors per year, it is an important cultural driving force in the region. The programme always has a thematic focus.

The Passion Play in Erl is a unique cultural event that transforms the small Tyrolean community into a grand stage every six years. Around 600 amateur actors from the village tell the story of Christ's Passion with a modern text by Martin Leutgeb - accompanied by specially composed music, an impressive stage set and atmospheric costumes.

The open-air stage in the Bernhardstal gorge in Elbigenalp is an insider tip among theatre lovers. Since 1993, challenging plays with a regional connection have been performed there every summer - in an impressive natural setting and often with great success. The stage is dedicated to the painter Anna Stainer-Knittel, known as "Geierwally". The premiere of Felix Mitterer's play of the same name marked the start of a theatre tradition that is still successful today.

Every year, the summer theatre in Kitzbühel proves anew that the Gamsstadt also has a lot to offer in terms of culture. Every summer, Kitzbühel stages a brilliant firework display of theatre, attracting many spectators from all over the German-speaking world. The performances take place in the acoustically excellent concert hall of the Kitzbühel State Music School.

Small, fine, avant-garde - this is how the theatre præsent in Innsbruck presents itself. Regardless of whether snippets of text such as Stefanie Sargnagel's "Statusmeldungen" become a theatre piece or surreal, mysterious scenes such as "Dunkel lockende Welt" by Händl Klaus take to the stage: The team led by Elke Hartmann, Verena Schopper and Michaela Senn is always on the lookout for new, unusual material and stages it effectively. Guest performances in other cities are also part of the programme.

The oldest existing off-theatre in Tyrol is a basement theatre as it should be: technically well equipped, with 75 seats and an inviting foyer. Director Manfred Schild carefully balances the programme between contemporary drama, light, intelligent comedy, avant-garde and classical material. "The trick is to find plays that win through their narrowness," says Schild, addressing one of the most important characteristics of the Kellertheater: Nowhere else are you as close to the action as here. This is why actors who are otherwise engaged at the Tiroler Landestheater, for example, also appreciate the special atmosphere.

The Brux offers space, technology and organisation, and various theatre groups fill it with life. As a "place for already successful productions, but also as a fear-free space to try things out", it is, according to its own definition, "an incredibly valuable island in the cultural scene." The construction of the theatre by the city of Innsbruck helped to ease the once cramped situation of Innsbruck's theatre scene. With its own "Vorbrenner" programme, this was also successful in a figurative sense. It is geared towards experimentation and interdisciplinarity and thus continuously expands the boundaries of theatre.

The Westbahntheater in Innsbruck has pitched its tents on contemporary ground. Young authors inspire with new plays that are critical, entertaining and emphatic. The performances are cheeky and refreshing.

The underground of Schwaz? The theatre in the Lendbräukeller! Here, under the direction of Markus Plattner and Madeleine Weiler, plays are performed and staged with dedication. At one of the hotspots of Tyrolean off-theatre, contemporary international classics are on the programme, for example by Eugène Ionesco, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and Andrea Maria Schenkel, but also their own works and Tyrolean dramas such as those by Felix Mitterer. Improvised theatre, readings, cabaret and concerts round off the programme.

Innsbruck's Viaduktbögen theatre is normally geared towards night owls, but who says you can't go out at night for cultural events? In the arch theatre at number 32, theatre fans can expect contemporary plays from all genres: modern tragedies, absurdist theatre, crime plays and light comedies. For some years now, an improv group has also been performing here, providing spontaneous theatre fun.

Every summer, the historic castle ruins of Rattenberg become the backdrop for the Schlossbergspiele Rattenberg. The dedicated amateur ensemble realises world premieres, first performances and commissioned works with professional directors. The programme now ranges from Shakespeare to Schönherr, Kranewitter, Orff, Turrini, Dürrenmatt, Horvàth and Felix Mitterer.

The Humiste theatre forum in Imst seeks the challenge in the unusual. Extraordinary because unconventional plays are performed in an equally unconventional way. Humiste regularly provides theatre evenings that make you laugh, cry or think.

For more than 100 years, the Stadttheater Kufstein has been putting on rousing comedies, bitter tragedies and literary classics as an amateur theatre. Every year, the theatre presents seven varied productions on various stages, including dance theatre, open-air performances and popular Tyrolean comedies.