Dark Noon - fix+foxy - Vienna Festival 2026

If history is a narrative that is written by the victors, then Dark Noon is a rousing anti-narrative. It tells the story of America as a race for land, gold and wealth. It is a deadly journey: in this place, those in pursuit of happiness in the name of God pay no heed to the lives of others. It is narrated by those who know exactly what it means to be colonised. In real time, an extraordinary cast of South African actors build a Western town – a bar, saloon, gold mine, railway, church and plenty of shoot-outs included. Brimming with irony, anger and unbridled energy, they recount the westward flight of 35 million impoverished and starving Europeans in search of a second chance. The award-winning Danish director Tue Biering and the South African co-director and choreographer Nhlanhla Mahlangu achieve an explosive theatre experience that mocks Hollywood at the same time as delivering an untamed chronicle of Western civilisation.

Recommended for ages 16+

The performance deals with physical violence.
Stroboscopic effects are being used.

Language: English with German surtitles
Duration: 105 min

program

Dark Noon

fix+foxy

Place

The Museumsquartier (MQ) is a 60,000 m² large area in the 7th district of the city of Vienna, Austria; it is the eighth largest cultural area in the world. The Museumsquartier contains Baroque buildings as well as Modern architecture by the architects Laurids and Manfred Ortner (Ortner & Ortner Baukunst). The renovation of the former court stables began in April 1998. Three years later, the Museumsquartier opened in two stages (June and September 2001). The total cost of the construction was 150 Million Euro (two billion Schilling).

The MQ is home to a range of installations from large art museums like the Leopold Museum and the MUMOK (Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna) to contemporary exhibition spaces like the Kunsthalle Wien and festivals like the Wiener Festwochen, an annual summer event that is headquartered in the MuseumsQuartier Wien.

Additional highlights include the Tanzquartier, an international, state-of-the-art centre for dance, the Architekturzentrum Wien, production studios for new media, artist studios for artists-in-residence, outstanding art and cultural facilities designed for children, and a variety of other events and festivals such as the renowned Viennale film festival, the ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival, and many others. The Museumsquartier also hosts quartier21, which features a number of alternative art groups.