STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Street/fringe theatre in Europe against subsidy ones 286
Austria
161
Street Artists in Europe
About 300 independent theatre and dance groups in Austria improved after 1989 having been
supported from The Austrian Association of Independent Theatre. The late eighties and the
nineties have been a time, when some fringe groups could start their own venue. But artists who
produced enthusiastically for 10, 15 or more years are now confronted with inadequate social
security: the precariousness of work. In Austria fringe groups have small opportunities to tour.
Fringe venues that show as well performing art often have not enough budget and political
backup to dare programming that is not event and does not satisfy spectator-quota. Many
productions are on stage for very short periods. Fringe groups in the field of children theatre
already built their own little touring systems at schools and other venues. They show mobility in
a very high degree, supplying children of even smallest villages with qualitative art.
The budget situation of Fringe Theatre differs a lot in Austria, depending in which of the nine
federal states of Austria and for how long an artist is working.
Fringe groups only have access to federal subsidies. In 2003 the Republic of Austria put 24,8%
of its whole budget for art into the sectors music theatre, theatre and dance. 77.3% (134 million
Euros) of these funds went to the Bundestheater-Holding (Burgtheater, Vienna State
Operahouse, Volksoper Vienna). Most artists went to work in Vienna – some do productions in
Carinthia in summertime.
In Niederösterreich (Lower Austria cultural policy seems focused on events, summer theatre and
festivals which gives the street theatres a chance to benefit from this strategy.
In Oberösterreich (Upper Austria) one independent group – theatre Phönix – has achieved
thetransformation into a substantially funded theatre. Salzburg provides for fringe theatre an
annual budget of 264.560 Million Euros. In Steiermark (Styria) exists a regional association of
independent artists „Das Andere Theater“. It could achieve a monthly poster with productiondates.
Graz and Steiermark (European Capital of Culture 2003) has about 27 fringes groups.
Tirol is probably the country with most amateur theatre groups in Austria. Vorarlberg has about
15 independent performing groups with a very wide spectrum. Wien (Vienna) as city and
federal country of Austria is the most generous supporter of fringe performing art in Austria
(10% of the whole budget). The general intention of ongoing reform is to fund less independent
artists with higher grants to produce „higher quality“ performances.
There are available:
1. Production-grants with a total budget of 4 million Euro including inter- and multicultural
theatre and productions for children and the youth;
2. Concept-grants: 14 fringe groups are funded.
286 Situation of Fringe Theatre in Europe - Country Reports. Abbreviated reports by Barbara Stüwe-Eßl, Petar
Todorov, Nebojša Borojević, Bohumil Nekolny & Ondrej Cerny, Tomáš Žižka , Jochen Brockstedt and Rolf
Dennemann, Nickolas Kamtsis, János Regős, Angelica Zanardi, Jeton Neziraj, Agnieszka Kochanowska, Victor
Scoradet, Jadranka Andjelic, Anna Gruskova, Simona Semenic, Lena Gustavson, Hans Läubli and Jost
Nyffeler, Sean Aita http://www.freietheater.at/material/laenderbe405.pdf
PE 375.307