The Bauhoftheater Braunau Makes a Cultural-Political Statement on the Lack of Cultural Venues. A greenhouse for the “cultural plant” offers a visionary response to precarious working conditions and the lack of performance spaces in a city full of vacant buildings. This temporary installation demonstrates how creative spaces can emerge.
The pyramid symbolizes growth, transformation, and stability. Visitors take seedlings, write down their visions on cards, and place both inside the pyramid—creating a dynamic process that actively involves the community. The pyramid becomes a meeting point and a space for dialogue.
As part of an interactive program, the audience engages in discussions with artists about the future of independent culture.
CV
The bauhoftheater braunau was founded in 2004 as a cultural association with a focus on theater. From 2004 to 2014, the Konventgarten in Ranshofen Castle was the main venue. In 2016, the bauhoftheater moved to the center of Braunau and established the church square as its new venue under the title “Braunauer Theatersommer”. After four successful productions (“Jedermann”, “Krach im Hause Gott”, “Der Bockerer” and “Dantons Tod”), the theater returned to the Konventgarten in 2020 due to traffic restrictions on Kirchenplatz. The play “Shaked Shakespear(e)” celebrated its world premiere there, in a reduced form adapted to the pandemic conditions.
From February 2019 to the beginning of 2020, the bauhoftheater ran the kinski cultural venue in Färbergasse in Braunau, where it hosted numerous music events and readings.
In 2021, the association presented a highly acclaimed production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Despite difficult weather conditions, the family play “The Canterville Ghost” by Oscar Wilde and the art event “Art on a Building Fence” rounded off the summer program and enriched the regional cultural offering.
In 2022, the bauhoftheater returned to the church square in the picturesque old town of Braunau. With the comedy “Lysistrata” (freely adapted from Aristophanes), the theater once again focused on humorous entertainment. “The Canterville Ghost” was performed with a new cast in the Stögerstadl (former music school).
In 2023, the bauhoftheater ventured into Goethe’s masterpiece “Faust I”, a timeless classic. The Braunau summer of theater was complemented by the family play “Komm, wir finden einen Schatz”, freely adapted from Janosch, at the Herzogsburg District Museum and a classical music concert on the church square.
In addition to theater, the non-profit association 2023 showed its versatile skills with the revised concept for the IBK arts and crafts market. The premiere of the “ART.ig Market” at Ranshofen Castle was a great success.
However, the anniversary year 2024 began with a setback: the performance of the classic play “8 Women” had to be canceled at short notice due to a faulty ventilation system in the Stögerstadl. Nevertheless, this was followed by highlights such as two impressive concerts and 15 sold-out performances of George Tabori’s farce “Mein Kampf”, which attracted around 3,000 enthusiastic visitors and received excellent reviews. At the same time, bauhoftheater actresses led a scenic tour through the history of the town in the historic rooms of the Heimathaus Braunau. The second edition of the “ART.ig Market” was also a complete success.
In the 20 years of its existence, the association has brought a total of 28 plays (for adults and children), 7 guest performances, 20 concerts, 13 readings, 6 open stages, 2 arts and crafts markets, 1 art event, historical guided tours and numerous other music events, “Auflegereien” and readings to Braunau. Around 55,700 people have attended events at the bauhoftheater since 2004. Over the past nine years, the non-profit association has developed from an amateur theater to a semi-professional theater with a cross-border orientation and has since celebrated successes with national media resonance.