Table of Contents
- 1 Political statements
- 2 “Are you sure?”
- 3 “Thank God we can say whatever we want”
- 4 Best federal state performance, audience award
- 5 Fear-free spaces in art
- 6 * Beyond the specific plays mentioned, what broader trends or issues facing contemporary theater does the Nestroy Prize ceremony highlight?
The Hungarian director Mundruczó won with the festival co-production “Parallax”. Julia Edtmeier is “Best Actress” and Stolzmann is “Best Actor”. “Of a Women’s Room” was named the best federal state performance.
The Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó was awarded the best director award for the festival co-production “Parallax” at the 25th Nestroy Gala on Sunday evening in the Volkstheater. Claudius von Stolzmann from the Theater in der Josefstadt (“The Raspberry Picker”) won in the “Best Actor” category, while Julia Edtmeier impressed in “Amadeus” as “Best Actress”. The jury chose “Von ein Frauenzimmer” at the Schauspielhaus Graz as the best federal state performance.
Julia Edtmeier won “Best Actress” in “Amadeus”. APA / APA / Georg Hochmuth
Political statements
The gala, which was broadcast with a time delay by ORF III, was moderated by Nadja Bernhard and Peter Fässlacher. The gala kicked off with a short film review dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Nestroy Prize. The excellent Mundruczó made a first political statement, reminding us in his acceptance speech that he could not stage a film in Hungary due to the political situation. “Thank you to the Vienna Festival Weeks for allowing us to show this work here!” Felix Mitterer was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Prize. Laudator Hakon Hirzenberger described the 76-year-old’s work as “never pleasing”, and Mitterer “always holds a mirror up to the audience with humor”.
“Are you sure?”
With feathery hair and dentures, Claudius von Stolzmann impressed in the Kammerspiele of the Theater in der Josefstadt as Zagl in “The Raspberry Picker” by Fritz Hochwälder. He prevailed in the “Best Actor” category against, among others, the duo Roland Koch and Michael Maertens (“The Lonely West”) and Maximilian Thienen (“The Club”) and asked in his acceptance speech: “Are you sure?” Great There was finally joy when the winner in the “Best Actress” category was announced, in which Julia Edtmeier was honored for her portrayal of Mozart in “Amadeus”, a co-production between Bronski & Grünberg and the Volkstheater in the districts. Edtmeier thanked the Volkstheater and the Bronski team for their “collaboration at eye level” over the years.
Claudius von Stolzmann won in the “Best Actor” category. APA / APA / Georg Hochmuth
“Thank God we can say whatever we want”
In his dual role as everyone’s good fellow and devil, Christoph Luser impressed the jury at the Salzburg Festival and received the prize for the best performance in a supporting role. In his acceptance speech he referred to the Slovak National Theater and director Dušan David Pařízek: “There they experience what it means when theater experiences censorship and they have to fear for their jobs,” said Luser. “Thank God we have the privilege and are allowed to appear here and say whatever we want.” Vienna’s City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler (SPÖ) also showed solidarity at the presentation of the best off-theater production and withdrew – analogously to the Protests in Slovakia – a bathrobe as a symbol.
The young talent awards went to the actress Irem Gökçen in “Servant of Two Masters” (Volkstheater), who sent her parents, who live in Istanbul, a greeting in Turkish, and the author Leonie Lorena Wyss for her piece “Muttertier”, which premiered in the Burgtheater vestibule. In her speech, the author warned of possible cuts and savings in culture, saying this was “particularly dangerous”. Lucia Bihler’s Kafka production “The Metamorphosis” won in the furnishings category; Victoria Behr (costumes) and Pia Maria Mackert (stage) were honored.
Best federal state performance, audience award
The audience award went to Tom Neuwirth for his role in “Luziwuzi” at the Rabenhof Theater. “We play with love and passion and the audience feels that too,” said Neuwirth, who became known as Conchita. The former director of the Schauspielhaus Graz and the Volkstheater Vienna, Anna Badora, finally presented the prize for the best federal state performance to Anne Lenk, who impressed the jury with her production of “Von ein Frauenzimmer” by Christiane Karoline Schlegel at the Schauspielhaus Graz. The director, who was unable to attend, had her acceptance speech read out by her team and – in reference to the femicide in the play – recalled the persistently high number of femicides in Germany and Austria.
The special prize went to “Oskar Werner – Uncompromising into Rebirth” by Bernhard Dechant and Sophie Resch in Spitzer in the Odeon. In his solo, the actor – accompanied by musician Stefan Sterzinger – traces the deep fall of the international star, who ended up wandering around the provinces with a heavy tongue, and in doing so also comes to terms with his own alcoholism. In his acceptance speech, he criticized the normality of alcohol consumption in Austrian society and the fact that the only non-alcoholic drinks available at the Nestroy Gala, for example, were mineral water, and called on people to do so: “Help make it normal in Austria too, not to drink.”
Fear-free spaces in art
For the first time this year, the author’s award for the best play was not announced in advance, but was put into a separate category with three nominees. The winner was Magdalena Schrefel, who wrote about her brother Valentin Schuster, who lives with a rare genetic defect, in “The Many Voices of My Brother” (co-production of the Schauspielhaus Wien, Kosmos Theater and Kunstfest Weimar). She came on stage with her brother and said: “I learned from this piece that I have a voice myself and that it makes sense to use it for other people’s stories too.”
The Institute for Media, Politics and Theater (Felix Hafner, Jennifer Weiss, Anna Wielander) secured the prize for best off-production with the production “Nestbeontamination”, which premiered at the Kosmos Theater and deals with abuse of power in the theater scene. In their acceptance speech, the team spoke out “for fear-free spaces in art”. The Nestroy Prize also honors the best performance in German-speaking countries: Here the jury chose Karin Beier’s brilliant antique series “Anthropolis IV” at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg. Beier thanked her entire team for being able to work on this mammoth project for two years. She also received the “Mini-Nestroy” for the shortest acceptance speech.
The Nestroy Prizes honor outstanding stage productions and artists from the past theater season. This year the jury consisted of Margarete Affenzeller, Karin Cerny, Sonja Harter, Wolfgang Kralicek, Julia Schafferhofer, Martin Thomas Pesl and Susanna Schwarzer. (APA)
Read more about these topics:
* Beyond the specific plays mentioned, what broader trends or issues facing contemporary theater does the Nestroy Prize ceremony highlight?
## Open Ended Questions for Discussion Based on the Nestroy Prize Article:
This article provides plenty of material for a rich discussion about the state of theater, politics, and artistic expression.
Here are some open-ended questions categorized by theme to spark conversation:
**Political Statements & Censorship:**
* How does the Nestroy Prize showcase the potential of theater as a platform for political commentary?
* Is it the responsibility of artists to use their platform to address political and social issues?
* Felix Mitterer was described as “never pleasing.” Can challenging and uncomfortable theater be effective?
* Christoph Luser’s speech referenced censorship in the Slovak National Theater. How does this situation highlight the importance of freedom of expression in the arts?
* What are the potential consequences of censorship in the theater and other artistic fields?
**Awards & Recognition:**
* Which award winner’s work or acceptance speech resonated with you the most and why?
* What criteria do you think should be most important when judging theatrical productions and performances?
* Is there any tension between artistic merit and audience appeal in awarding prizes like the Nestroy?
**Themes of the Plays:**
* The Nestroy Prize recognized plays exploring themes of femicide, abuse of power, and disability. Why do you think these subjects are finding prominence in contemporary theater?
* How can theatrical performances raise awareness and provoke discussion about challenging social issues?
**The Future of Theatre:**
* Several speeches at the Nestroy Prize addressed the importance of “fear-free spaces” in art. What are the biggest threats to this ideal in the current climate?
* What role can funding and support play in ensuring the vibrancy and diversity of theater in the future?
* What are some of the biggest challenges facing theater in the 21st century, and how can they be overcome?
**Beyond Theatre:**
* The article mentions alcohol consumption in Austrian society. What are your thoughts on Dechant’s criticism and call to normalize not drinking?
* How does the discussion of theater at the Nestroy Prize connect to broader conversations about freedom of expression, social justice, and the role of art in society?
These are just some starting points. Encourage participants to share their interpretations, personal experiences, and diverse perspectives to make the discussion meaningful and engaging.
