Ins Theater!

Vienna has a plethora of musical and theatrical venues, which are made very accessible to those on a student budget by the availability of cheap standing tickets. Students in particular can often also buy tickets left unsold just before the performance, meaning you might find yourself in the front row for the grand sum of 9 euros!

On 14th September I had the opportunity to explore the Volkstheater behind the scenes, at their "Tag der offenen Tuer" (Day of the Open Door = open day).

 

It was founded in 1899, aiming to bring modern theatre as well as classic repertoire to wider circles of society ('Volks-' = of the people). The interior is elaborately decorated: 

Looking up.

A backstage technical tour took us from under the stage right up to the roof space. This photo is about halfway between the two (below). If you look at the spot just below the person in yellow you can just about make out some artificial snow falling.

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I haven't been to see a play in the Volkstheater yet, but I have been to a few other venues. First up was the Theater in der Josefstadt (founded 1788) with some fellow Oxford students, to see a performance of our first-year text Liebelei by Arthur Schnitzler. We enjoyed it, though it was somewhat more sombre than I recalled - probably because it was comparatively the light-and-fluffiest play out of the four we studied that term...

There followed two outings to the Staatsoper (opera house), where the Parterre standing places are below the imperial box and above the 150 euro seats. Not bad for 4 euros and a couple of hours sitting reading in a queue. There are also 3 euro tickets for high up in the balcony and gallery. Meg and I watched Massenet's Manon, which we thoroughly enjoyed, despite being (relative) opera novices. This last weekend we went to see Swan Lake, which was also stunning.

Pre-performance. Orpheus and Eurydice on the safety curtain.

My flatmate C had a lovely visitor staying all last week. Due to a flight mix-up she stayed an extra day, so we spontaneously went to see Spatz und Engel at the Burgtheater (~National Theatre - the one the Volkstheater was originally a counterweight to). The play is about the relationship between Marlene Dietrich (the Engel) and Edith Piaf (Spatz), and included some very impressive renditions of their iconic songs. The experience was further enhanced by our prime position in the fourth row - sing ho for last-minute tickets!