Theater der Jugend launches new season under Asli Kislal

Vienna’s Theater der Jugend, a theatre for young audiences, will open its new season on October 13 with the world premiere of a stage adaptation of Renate Welsh’s children’s classic “Alle Kinder nach Kinderstadt,” ORF reported. It will be the first premiere under new director Asli Kislal.

Kislal, the founder and long-time head of diverCITYLAB, described the past few months as “the most intensive learning phase of my life”. Coming from the independent theatre scene, she said she had worked with her team to understand the theatre’s sometimes “entrenched structures” and find ways to gradually change them.

The process is not yet complete, she said, but changes are already visible. The two theatres now carry their street names, Neubaugasse and Liliengasse, as subtitles, while a new logo, website and colour scheme have also been introduced.

Season built around stage adaptations

Kislal’s first programme consists entirely of adaptations. Following an opening day on September 26, the Neubaugasse theatre will stage the premiere of “Alle Kinder nach Kinderstadt” on October 13, directed by Simon Windisch.

The Liliengasse theatre will then open its season on October 16 with “Komm runter!” by Sabrina Myriam Mohamed, a production also aimed at adults. It follows five friends through the final days before the summer holidays, including school assignments, a racist class teacher and the breaking of the fast. The announcement says the parents then begin behaving strangely.

“Der Zahn”, premiering on December 11 in Neubaugasse for audiences aged six and over, is based on a graphic novel by Hamburg illustrator Ayşe Klinge. Philine Bührer will stage Ayşe Bosse’s adaptation.

From January 12, Raoul Biltgen will present “Quixote”, loosely based on Cervantes, for audiences aged 13 and over in collaboration with the Plaisiranstalt collective. “Vevi”, an adaptation of Erica Lillegg’s children’s book directed by Bérénice Hebenstreit, will follow on February 23. The book is due to be published by Luftschacht Verlag with new illustrations in the autumn.

New forms and children’s theatre prize

Kislal also plans to include one production each season in which spoken language is not the central means of expression. The first will be the world premiere of “Outcast”, using street and club styles, contemporary dance and hand signs as tools for the performers.

The season will close on May 25 with an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.

In cooperation with Schauburg Munich and Junge Schauspiel Düsseldorf, the theatre has established the children’s playwriting prize “Hugo”. A jury made up of children and adults will select authors for writing fellowships worth 7,000 euros each. The works are to be presented in Vienna in June 2027, with the winners honoured at the Schäxpir festival in Linz and the plays premiered during the following season.

New ensemble members and savings measures

The six-member permanent ensemble includes three new faces: Melanie Baljeet Kaur Sidhu, Barča Baxant and Una Nowak join Uwe Achilles, Frank Engelhardt and Stefan Rosenthal.

Managing director Ronald Hora said the theatre had recorded a successful previous season, with its own productions reaching an average occupancy rate of 92.11 percent across 234 performances.

The theatre has already received federal funding approval for 2027, but, like other institutions, is still waiting for funding from the City of Vienna. It is currently focusing on potential savings, including a new substitute-performer system being developed with the Max Reinhardt Seminar and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna to prevent costly cancelled performances. “I work very economically,” Kislal said.