All about me / NYC

“In view of social uncertainties and life dreams being put to the test in the turbo-capitalism of the 21st century, the aktionstheater ensemble has been developing a stage language for many years that aims directly at the solar plexus of the audience. Above all, however, it is hope and the longings of the individual that this company, which was recently awarded the Austrian Art Prize, addresses:

The year is 2025: Against the background of a threatening general political shift to the right and the supremacy of autocratic systems, nothing less than the survival of democracies seems to be at stake. Against this threatening backdrop, the actors in ‘All about me’ face their daily and very individual struggle for survival. In a combination of theater, music, and choreography, the aktionstheater ensemble takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster ride, showing how the private becomes political and the political becomes private.”

Martin Gruber on the premiere of “All about me”

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“The year 1989 not only drew the world map anew in geopolitical terms, but also provided significant impetus in the cultural landscape. The founding of the aktionstheater ensemble marks one such impetus in the Austrian theater world. Not a bit quiet, not a bit long-winded, not a bit elitist—and yet theater at its finest, which in itself is already a feat. One that, even after 35 years of lively, critical, and precise theater work, is reflected in constant recognition, as the Nestroy Theater Prize and the Austrian Art Prize impressively testify. What the future holds remains exciting. What is certain, however, is that the aktionstheater ensemble will continue to enrich us with provocative and first-class productions. I would like to offer my sincere congratulations on this impressive anniversary and wish you continued creative work and much success.”

Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, Bundespräsident der Republik Österreich

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“Director Martin Gruber and his aktionstheater ensemble have for decades helped audiences to explore what it is to be a human wrestling with the anxieties of the day. … It’s a dose of therapy in the best Austrian tradition.”

Thomson Reuters News Agency, UK

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“Crazy and virtuosic” Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany

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“Gets under your skin” Der Standard, Austria

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“Theatre couldn’t be closer to the present!” nachtkritik.de, Germany

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“Emotional rollercoaster” Kultur Zeitschrift, Austria