Theater praesent – rebellious stage with a new address

The address Tschamlerstraße 3 is a legend in Innsbruck! Anyone who, like the author, was a regular at the Utopia and witnessed its abrupt end the following year Weekender Club and witnessed its closure - will inevitably feel nostalgic when entering the building. After a brief interlude, culture is once again alive here. Today in the form of progressive, sometimes critical theater. For entertainment and cultural debate away from the big stages - a great addition to Innsbruck's cultural scene.

From the outside, there is nothing to suggest that this was once one of Innsbruck's most important cultural centers. But as soon as you enter the vestibule, the memories come flooding back. The Utopia Café used to be on the right, and behind the former portholes there are now loft-like offices.

Up the stairs to the left is the second floor Cunst & Co. Located here for decades, the art workshop is open to everyone. The steps lead down to the room where well-known and lesser-known bands used to make a stopover in Innsbruck. Pete Doherty has performed here, as have The Whisky Priests and Kurt Ostbahn and his combo - the list of iconic performances by national and international bands is almost endless.

Theater praesent has been performing in the space since October 2024. The members of the association have put a lot of energy into adapting the space. "More than 500 volunteer hours in total and Robert Simmerle has refurbished the space," says Michaela Senn. Together with Elke Hartmann, she has been running the Off-Theater since 2018, which was founded in 2006 and was based in a cellar in Jahnstraße for a long time.

The new premises were opened with a big party and a brand new play. On October 5, 2024, "Antrag auf größtmögliche Entfernung von Gewalt" by Felicia Zeller celebrated its Austrian premiere. The author used statistical documents as the source material for this play about domestic violence. She also conducted interviews with women affected by assault who had fled to women's shelters, with employees of the facilities, with doctors, but also with perpetrators. From this, Zeller created an oppressive piece about violence and the experience of violence without falling into the "victimization trap": Raising one's own voice is a step towards self-empowerment.

the theater seats99 people and is also wheelchair-accessible. The move from Dreiheiligen to the Wilten district has also attracted a regular audience. The familiar faces have been joined by many new ones thanks to the increased capacity. Especially as Wilten, with its strong student population, "delivers" a diverse and interested audience.

The association has an office on the first floor, which is also suitable for rehearsals. In terms of content, Theater praesent remains true to its line. "We want to create socio-politically relevant theater and deal with topics that are otherwise reluctant to be addressed," says Michaela Senn.

Whether it is about domestic violence or the topic of sex work, which will be discussed next autumn, or about housing poverty and poverty among women in old age, which will be addressed in 2026 - Theater praesent offers its audience exciting contemporary theater, including many Austrian premieres and world premieres.

Often developed collectively and embedded in a supporting program of discussion formats such as "Talk Night" and film evenings ("kino praesent"), Theater praesent aims to make the stage its challenging place to engage with the present.

"Theater is a great place to ask democratically controversial and relevant questions," says Michaela Senn. The spaces in Tschamlerstrasse now further expand the scope for experiments and innovative forms of theater at the interface with other arts. And they offer the opportunity to cooperate more closely with other institutions.

Since November 2024, Theater praesent has been a member of Theaterallianz, an association of independent theaters in Austria. As the first and so far only theater in Tyrol, as Michaela Senn notes. One of the aims of the interest group is to exchangeselected productions. One or two of the three or four productions produced at Tschamlerstraße are therefore likely to go on tour soon - works by other independent theaters will make a stop in Innsbruck. "Great impulses, new perspectives, points of view, it will be exciting," says Michaela Senn happily.

The Wilten district center is also not far away. Collaborations with cultural events such as the Innsbruck Journalism Festival and Klangspuren Schwaz are already in place. The U20 Poetry Slam and a reading stage are already stationed in the premises of the Theater praesent.

There is great interest from the independent scene, as well as requests for concerts and other formats, says Senn. In addition to the other voluntary activities, there is also the supervision of external events. In the long term, such an enormous additional time commitment is probably not feasible, as Senn points out.

But this downer doesn't (yet) weigh too heavily: in view of the brilliant start and the already high acceptance of the new cultural institution in Wilten, the makers of Theater praesent are delighted with the great rooms and the opportunities that are opening up.

Where top-class concerts, cabaret evenings and legendary disco nights took place for many years, a new space for artistic engagement with the present has emerged. One that doesn't exude an atmosphere of softness - but is rebellious, uncomfortable and resistant in the best sense of the word. Things remain exciting at Tschamlerstraße 3. A new old address that should be remembered (again)!

Theater praesent

Association Theater praesent
Tschamlerstraße 3
6020 Innsbruck

[email protected]; www.theater-praesent.at/

Program online here.

Innsbruck has a lively scene of independent theaters offering exciting programs. The current dates can be found in the Innsbruck.Info calendar of events.

Photos, unless otherwise indicated: © Susanne Gurschler