Thomas Verstraeten
Inselliebe (Love for the island)

The Vienna Festival is one of the most prestigious art and culture festivals in the world. Every year in May and June since 1951, up to 100,000 people attend the theater, dance and performance programs throughout the city. The festivals' performances take place not only on theater stages, but also in unusual places or public spaces. Time and again, the festival engages with the city and its inhabitants and works with them to create performances in which they themselves take to the stage.

Wiener Festwochen are looking for people who want to be part of a theatre performance on Donauinsel. Inselliebe will tell the stories of the people and groups who make the Donauinsel into Vienna’s greatest recreational paradise every spring to autumn. The Belgian artist Thomas Verstraeten, renowned for his large-scale, participative projects in the public sphere, will develop a theatre project in homage to Donauinsel together with over a hundred fans of the island. The performance will comprise eight to ten scenes that take place all over Donauinsel. Various groups of Donauinsel visitors will recreate their usual activities during the performance. They will be fishing or barbecuing, skating or raving, lazing about or doing sports. Each extract of island life will be turned into a theatre event by dramatic lighting, an enthralling sound set and a huge painted backdrop as décor.

Who?
Everyone who likes to visit Donauinsel to swim, to fish, to barbecue, to do sports or to lie in the sun. Also everyone who comes here to rave or to cruise. No acting experience required.

Where?
The performance will take place in eight to ten locations on Donauinsel south of Reichsbrücke.

When?
Two weekends in May and June 2025. One weekend with rehearsals and one weekend with performances will take place between 30 May and 15 June 2025.

Remuneration?
All participants will receive a payment of € 250 for rehearsals and performance. Food and drink will be provided for all participants during rehearsals.

Learn More & Contact Us
If you are interested in participating, please send an email to inselliebe@festwochen.at or call us at +43 664 22 589 87