The creation of new texts for the stage has been the focus of the WIENER WORTSTAETTEN’s work since the beginning, as well as the artistic exploration of socially relevant themes and networking between playwrights.
This year we received a total of 177 texts, that our jury consisting of Augustin Jagg & Hubert Dragaschnig (Directors Theater Kosmos Bregenz), Kiki Miru Miroslava Svolikova (author) and Bernhard Studlar (Artistic Director WIENER WORTSTAETTEN) read thoroughly. After long and intensive discussions a selection was made and four promising drafts were chosen, that will be developed into finished plays by the authors in the coming year.
This year’s particpiants of the Drama Lab are Lisa Bolyos, Iris Harter, Jana Krüger und Judith Meta Loeffen!
This model of cooperation with authors includes a contract for work amounting to € 3,000 as well as dramaturgical support for the period of one year. Furthermore, regular working meetings of all selected authors as well as individual and group readings. Any travel expenses will be covered by the WIENER WORTSTAETTEN or its cooperation partners.
In addition, the Theater KOSMOS Bregenz will accompany the creation of the texts as a ”Patentheater” and premiere one of the plays in the season 2026/2027.
All texts will be presented at the “Wortstattnächte” in November 2026 as stage readings.
About the Drama Lab
The WIENER WORTSTAETTEN Drama Lab, being put into practice since 2022, is a long-term funding model for playwrights developed by Bernhard Studlar. In recent years, it has produced a number of successful plays that have been invited to festivals such as Hin & Weg or the Heidelberger Stückemarkt and premiered at theaters in Austria and Germany. These include “DRUCK!” by Arad Dabiri, “no shame in hope” by Svealena Kutschke, “Wald” by Miriam Lesch, “Is Maidele (Vaterzunge)” by Miriam Unterthiner and, most recently, “aufstiegskörper” by Lena Riemer.
The steadily growing number of applications, as well as the interest of publishers and theaters in the plays, prove the necessity of such a funding model for the German-speaking theater scene.
The WIENER WORTSTAETTEN represent an independent, creative research laboratory and text workshop and function as a mediator between authors and the theatre business.
A production of the WIENER WORSTAETTEN in cooperation with the Theater KOSMOS Bregenz.
