Theater again at last

New life for a historic Graz stage

The historic building has now been adapted to today's needs over many months

(Bild: Nicolas Galani)

The second oldest theater in the Styrian capital stood empty for a long time. Now it has been revived by a hard-working team (and financed by the city of Graz) - today it opens for business.

It is a unique theater that architect Carl Aichinger built for the Graz Journeymen's Association on Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai. Completed in 1859, built in the Baroque style with a gallery and Corinthian wooden columns that are unique to Graz, the building is the second oldest theater in the city after the Schauspielhaus.

The legendary actor and operetta singer Alexander Girardi once celebrated his stage debut here, which is why it was later named after him. The Girardi Theater was used by the journeymen's association until 1914, after which it was used as a dance school for almost 100 years before the final curtain fell in 2018.

Revival of the old stage
"It would have been a shame not to use this gem as a theater again," say Peter Ulrich from axe: and Alexander Kropsch from Theater Quadrat. As part of a five-strong team, they have been working to revive the hall over the past few years - successfully.

The five-member team of the Theaterhaus: Peter Spall, Peter Ulrich, Britta Badura, Alexander Kropsch and Werner Halbedl (from left).

(Bild: Nicolas Galani)

The owner has rented them the hall and the adjoining theater apartment, and the City of Graz is financing the necessary renovation work (accessibility, new technology, etc.) with 250,000 euros: "In this way, we can create a modern workspace for the independent arts scene in Styria that is also affordable," say Kropsch and Ulrich.

The "Theaterhaus", as the new stage is called, will be officially opened on October 9. Günter Riegler, the city councillor responsible for culture, is also delighted: "The preservation and reopening of the theater is very important to me - not only because of its history, but also because of its architecture. I am delighted that this gem is now available to the Graz theater scene as an additional performance venue."

All information about the old new theater and the schedule can be found at www.theaterhaus.at