Telfs theatre festival sells out every performance

Every performance at the Tiroler Volksschauspiele theatre festival in Telfs sold out this season, ORF reported. More than 20,000 people attended the productions, including the marathon reading Flucht ohne Ende and the play Feuernacht.

The festival said the season ended with Saturday’s final performance of Feuernacht. Artistic director Gregor Bloeb said the festival’s defining qualities were the people involved, their commitment, expertise and experience, as well as their dedication to theatre and attention to detail.

The theatre prize RUTH was awarded to writer Felix Mitterer. Designed by sculptor Xaver Valentin, the prize commemorates Ruth Drexel, a co-founder and long-serving chairwoman of the Tiroler Volksschauspiele. It recognises people who have made an exceptional contribution to the festival and to popular theatre.

Mitterer has had a decades-long association with the Tiroler Volksschauspiele, including numerous premieres. This year’s Feuernacht is a continuation of Verkaufte Heimat, which premiered in 2019.

Mitterer, who was born in Achenkirch in 1948, is a playwright, screenwriter and actor. The festival said his work had shaped German-language theatre for almost five decades and reached audiences across generations.