The Festwochen have often been criticised as a hermetic festival of high culture, produced for an elitist circle of art lovers. What relationships do we have to enter, which apparent and invisible boundaries do we have to break down in order to unite experiment and tradition, discourse and entertainment, politics and aesthetics, high culture and popular culture, Vienna and the world? How might a diverse, varied and universally accessible theatre festival work? What is the right ‘mixture’ for maximum openness – for everyone?

Tuesdays and Wednesdays are hearing days – a series in which we will develop the rules for the festival of the future together. Who takes decisions? Where does project funding come from and where does it go? Who is invited and who isn’t – and why? Who is the producer, who is the audience? Boycotts – yes or no? And: how does a globally active festival agree with sustainability? Experts, artists and activists provide an insight into their practices and examine potential alternatives. Over the duration of five weeks, the Council of the Republic will attend and discuss the hearings and design the Festwochen’s own constitution, which will be presented to the audience at the end of the festival as the Vienna Declaration.

The detailed programme will be announced in May.