Flori Gugger

The festival has existed much longer than the institution brut. It was founded in 1989 and has since been a highly renowned platform for new developments in choreography and performance, where young, emerging artists present their productions. imagetanz provides an excellent space for experimentation. The audience is very curious and open to new, exciting voices.

Flori Gugger

Doris Uhlich, for example, presented her very first independent production at imagetanz. She is now one of Austria's most renowned choreographers. Florentina Holzinger also participated in imagetanz—she will represent Austria at the Venice Art Biennale next year. Philipp Gehmacher was also part of imagetanz; today, he is a professor in Berlin and a highly esteemed choreographer.

Flori Gugger

Of course, the question arises: Who goes to the theater in the first place? Who feels invited to attend performances? This season, we have specifically opened up to blind and visually impaired individuals, as they have been largely overlooked in the performing arts sector until now. Many questions quickly emerged: How do we reach these individuals? What communication tools do we need? Traditional flyers and printed programs don’t work in this context.

We sought external expertise and started creating audio flyers. We also made the registration process more flexible — it no longer has to go through our ticketing system but can also be done via WhatsApp. Additionally, we introduced a pickup service for disabled individuals at tram and subway stops.

We see ourselves as a learning institution — we make mistakes, but that’s okay because we aim to continuously evolve and professionalize.

Katrin Brehm

We constantly make mistakes when it comes to accessibility. We are a team of white, non-disabled individuals, so it’s important to rethink well-intended decisions regarding accessibility and to be willing to reflect on mistakes together, while seeking alternatives and solutions — even if they require more effort.

One key learning has been the aspect of invitation: It’s not enough to simply offer an audio description, announce the event on the website, and hope that a blind or visually impaired audience will come. We need alternative communication tools that are truly accessible. This requires us to rethink our communication processes. Currently, we use so-called audio flyers — an acoustic tool that provides essential information about the piece and accessibility details.

Personal invitations and direct engagement should not be underestimated. Building relationships so that people who have previously been excluded from cultural institutions feel comfortable is absolutely crucial.

Additionally, we quickly realized that offering pickup services is essential. People with disabilities often face numerous barriers just on their way to brut and are frequently dependent on companions as a result.

Katrin Brehm

Yes, for blind and visually impaired individuals, an assistance dog is an important companion. If they couldn’t bring their dog, attending would be impossible for them. Assistance dogs are always welcome here — this is an essential decision to ensure an accessible visit.

Flori Gugger

In Germany and Switzerland, there are institutions that are more advanced in this area than brut, partly because funding for inclusive and accessible programs is available there. In Berlin, a comparable institution is Sophiensæle, which has done excellent work in recent years. The Theaterformen Festival in Hannover and Braunschweig also plays a pioneering role. In Zurich, the Theaterhaus Gessnerallee is an important institution in this field.

Katrin Brehm

Bad. There is significant awareness among funding bodies of what brut is achieving with brut barrierefrei, and we often receive positive feedback. However, there are no concrete measures or dedicated funding pools that support (artistic) ideas for accessibility. This makes things difficult.

We have already submitted several funding applications, but they were rejected because they do not fall under the category of “traditional” project funding for a single artistic endeavor. We are staying persistent, but I would like to see more accountability regarding the urgency of this issue and a faster pace of action. Our goal is to shape the performing arts in a way that upholds the fundamental right of disabled and chronically ill individuals: participation in public cultural life.

Katrin Brehm

We integrate accessibility into the artistic program in various ways. Fundamentally, we do not see accessibility merely as a service. We invite groups that use accessibility as an artistic tool. One example is Rykena/Jüngst, who presented their guest performance Transfigured at brut.

Flori Gugger

This year at imagetanz, we are presenting a project by maria mercedes (Julia Maria Müllner and Camilla Mercedes Schielin) called shining rose, which includes an artistic live audio description. Audience members who wish to use the audio description receive headphones, allowing them to receive auditory information about what is happening on stage.

Additionally, maria mercedes offers a tactile tour for blind and visually impaired individuals. This is a valuable and important opportunity, as it allows them to explore the stage before the performance, experience the set design up close, and touch the costumes — enabling them to engage with the performance on a deeper level.

Over the past months, we have also hosted workshops for blind and visually impaired individuals in collaboration with artists. We are continuing this series under the title Move to the Beat – Stay for the Pizza, led by Theresa Scheinecker / Ray & Katharina Senk / Senki.

Katrin Brehm

Angela Alves is a performer and choreographer with a chronic illness who describes herself as an expert in resting and stopping. She challenges the precarious, exploitative, and performance-driven structures in which art is created. In this context, she explores the political and resistant potential of conscious pauses and saying no, while seeking new forms of inclusive collaboration.

On March 22, Angela Alves will present an audio performance on the topic of resting from her perspective. This input is designed to be accessible to blind and visually impaired audiences — there will be no visual elements, and a pickup service as well as a tactile guidance system will be provided. Following this, a workshop will take place on saying no as a resistant and subversive practice.

Katrin Brehm

Wir arbeiten eng mit Expert:innen mit gelebter Erfahrung von Behinderung zusammen, die uns Feedback geben und in Bezug auf Barrierefreiheit beratend zur Seite stehen. Nach jedem Programmpunkt von brut barrierefrei planen wir Feedbackgespräche ein, um Prozesse gemeinsam zu reflektierten und mit dem neu erlernten Wissen das zukünftige Programm zu planen.

Flori Gugger

We work closely with experts with lived experience of disability, who provide feedback and advise us on accessibility. After each program event of brut barrierefrei, we schedule feedback discussions to reflect on processes together and use the newly acquired knowledge to plan future programs.

Flori Gugger

Of course! Artists provide us with artistic tools to collectively reflect on these topics. For example, we also have a workshop in our program called Quiet emotions? Free your mental load (by Cleidy Acevedo & Helena Araújo), which focuses on mental and physical overload. This is an issue that plays a major role not only in the arts and culture scene but also beyond.

Especially in the independent arts sector, people often work under precarious conditions, which is why we believe it is important to offer not just artistic productions but also workshops and tools like these. We live in an increasingly fast-paced world, and that takes a toll on mental health.

Katrin Brehm

Yes, as Flori said, many topics in the current program also affect us as dramaturgs working within institutional structures. Engaging deeply with barriers and accessibility raises awareness of different lived realities and encourages us to rethink internalized work habits and exclusionary, ableist processes.

Flori Gugger

The motto plays with the idea that in dance and performance, not everything has to be understood rationally. It’s an art form that exists strongly in the moment and often does not aim to provide a clear, rational interpretation. On a physical level, something entirely different can happen compared to a purely cognitive experience.

In addition, there is a second, core motto: TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. This idea emerged because it’s worth paying closer attention. We live in a fast-paced time where we constantly have to assess information: What is misinformation? What is truly important? We believe it is essential to pause at the festival and fully immerse oneself in the moment.

I also interpret the motto as a reflection of the artists we have brought together — artists who deserve a closer look because they represent exciting and compelling voices in the performance and dance scene.

Flori Gugger

Yes, imagetanz consists partly of world premieres by Viennese artists—this year, there are five premieres. However, it is remarkable how international the Viennese scene has become in recent years.

For example, we have Imani Rameses in the program, who was born in the U.S. but works in Vienna. Ariadne Randall is also from the U.S. Stina Fors, who opens the festival, is an outstanding improvisation artist from Sweden. Hyeji Nam comes from Korea but lives and works in Vienna. This internationality reflects the city’s population — recently, I read that 30% of Vienna’s population will not be eligible to vote in the municipal elections at the end of April.

International perspectives are important to us, but we also strive to act sustainably. That means we don’t fly in artists from other continents for single performances — that wouldn’t be ecologically responsible or financially feasible.

Flori Gugger

We would love to integrate the brut barrierefrei series even more deeply into the regular program of brut and imagetanz — and, most importantly, secure sustainable funding for it. Here, I also appeal to cultural policymakers to consider what funding opportunities could be made available for this purpose.

Another major goal is to represent even greater diversity on stage. We are actively working on this for the upcoming season as well as for the next imagetanz festival.

Katrin Brehm

I’m especially looking forward to the exchange with Angela Alves, the networking event afterward, and the workshop Move to the Beat – Stay for the Pizza, which is exclusively for blind and visually impaired audiences.

As a dramaturg, direct interaction with the audience is just as important to me as the content itself. I’m excited about the conversations and the inspiring discussions. My greatest joy is knowing that our program reaches diverse people from different backgrounds and with disabilities — and that they feel comfortable and inspired with us.

Flori Gugger

I’d like to highlight Ariadne Randall’s production: Reverse Cowgirl II: Ride To The Top. We were able to invite McKenzie Wark — a renowned New York-based scholar and performer — for this project. She has written a text specifically for the performance, which will be incorporated into the show.

McKenzie Wark authored the book Reverse Cowgirl, one of Randall’s key inspirations. She will be presenting the book in Austria for the first time as part of the festival — something I’m very excited about.