Theater at the train station

The unheard-of things in beautiful Ausseerland

Gabriela Hiti, Juliette Eröd, Martina Zinner and Monika Klengel (from left) explore the past in Ausseerland

(Bild: Johannes Gellner)

As part of the Capital of Culture Bad Ischl-Salzkammergut 2024, the Graz-based Theater im Bahnhof is dealing with looted art. In the fictional live radio show "Die unerhörten Dinge", the topic is presented in an entertaining way. The premiere is on August 31 at 10 am at the Altaussee weekly market.

The Theater im Bahnhof impressively brings to life the unheard-of stories of everyday objects formerly owned by Jews. Director Monika Klengel has not only been able to rely on her team and their dependable quality, but also on the academic collaboration of provenance researcher Monika Löscher (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna) and Birgit Johler (curator, Universalmuseum Joanneum).

Together, they explored the history of these objects and the personal memories associated with them in order to tell the story in a fictional radio program. They deliberately opted for the "entertainment program" genre, says Klengel.

Entertainment program with depth
"Die unerhörten Dinge" is primarily intended to entertain. "Singing is an essential element. There will be no 'out of the box' music on our radio show, everything will be live." In addition to the a cappella songs written especially for this production by Felix Klengel, which are based on folk music from the Ausseerland region and yet have their very own language, there will be a request concert, witty conversations, bizarre stories and competitions. The aim is to address the audience directly and subtly sensitize them to the topic. 

The TiB team with the memory game

(Bild: Johannes Gellner)

"Our aim is to use these objects to raise the topic of provenance - without pointing a finger," emphasizes Monika Klengel, who also appears on stage as an actress alongside Gabriela Hiti, Juliette Eröd and Martina Zinner. A 12-part memory game has been specially developed for this, which can also be purchased independently of the play. Accompanying booklets are also being produced that tell the story of these objects and the history of looted art in Ausseerland, which is not just limited to famous works of art.

Market tour and a long night
Die unerhörten Dinge" premieres on Saturday (August 31) at 10 am at the weekly market in Altaussee, on September 5 in Bad Aussee, the next day at the flea market in Altaussee and again on September 14 in Bad Aussee. If you can't make it to Upper Styria, you still have the chance to see this production on October 5 at the Long Night of Museums at the Graz Folklore Museum.