Ali M. Abdullah to lead Vorarlberg State Theatre through 2028

Viennese director Ali M. Abdullah will serve as interim artistic director of the Vorarlberg State Theatre, a theatre in Vorarlberg, for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons, ORF reported. The theatre’s supervisory board appointed him, the Vorarlberg Culture Houses Operating Company said on Wednesday.

The appointment is intended to ensure the theatre’s operations after its artistic leadership became vacant following the termination and release of Stephanie Gräve. KUGES said it would begin advertising the permanent directorship from the 2028-29 season in the autumn, independently of Abdullah’s two-year interim appointment.

The dispute between KUGES and Gräve escalated after the company decided not to renew her contract, which was due to expire on July 31, 2028. Gräve later reported KUGES managing director Monika Wagner to police on suspicion of document forgery. Investigations are ongoing. KUGES backed Wagner, while Gräve was initially released from her duties and dismissed in June.

KUGES supervisory board chairwoman and state councillor Barbara Schöbi-Fink described Abdullah as an experienced and well-connected theatre professional. He will move his residence to Bregenz for the next two years.

Abdullah, born in Vienna in 1967, studied theatre studies and interpreting at the University of Vienna before studying acting and directing in Graz and Berlin. He worked as an assistant director, actor and director at theatres in Germany and Austria. From 2009 to 2014, he headed GARAGE X in Vienna, receiving a Nestroy Special Prize in 2012 for its joint artistic direction. He led WERK X in Vienna from 2014 to 2023 and has worked independently as a writer and director since 2024.

Abdullah said taking over the theatre during unsettled times presented a new challenge. He said he looked forward to leading its established staff, existing structures and partly prepared programme. Because the theatre will perform at other venues next season during planned stage-technology renovations, he said the situation would create “a special dynamic” for developing his artistic vision over the next two years.