Vampire`s Mountain - Philippe Quesne - Vienna Festival 2026

At times when the outlook is bleak, vampire stories are in high demand. Indeed, there is no people in the world that does not have stories of the living dead, of bloodsuckers and bloodless bodies. With Vampire’s Mountain, the artist, scenographer and director Philippe Quesne uses this myth to tackle an urgent issue: the relationship between humans and nature, that of rule and exploitation. Quesne is a master of bizarre and fantastical pictorial theatre and one of the most successful European theatre-makers. With his most recent piece, he creates a panorama of our time that is both melancholy and hilarious. Quesne’s eccentricity meets acting excellence in the face of the end of the world. Prepare for theatrical mist, long teeth and howling when the temporary community of vampires emerges from the ground as the play begins: ‘Oh how cheating, oh how fleeting is our earthly being!’

Recommended for ages 14+

Language: German with English surtitles
Duration: 2 hours

program

Vampire's Mountain

Philippe Quesne

Place

The Volkstheater in Vienna (roughly translated as "People's Theatre") was founded in 1889 by request of the citizens of Vienna, amongst them the dramatist Ludwig Anzengruber and the furniture manufacturer Thonet, in order to offer a popular counter weight to the Hofburgtheater. It was erected according to designs by Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, who attempted to reconcile their plans with historicism. It is located in Neubau, the seventh district of Vienna.

The founders of this stage had a theatrical stage in mind, in order to expose wider circles of the population of Vienna to classical and modern literature whilst staging these next to more traditional plays. The theatre follows this tradition even today. New productions of the classics are always in the pipeline along with regular reinterpretations of works by Ferdinand Raimund and Johann Nestroy and many new plays and reruns. Special attention is given to Austrian playwrights of old and new.

In 2005 Michael Schottenberg became art director of the Volkstheater.

In 2005 the Volkstheater started an alternative theater stage called "Volkstheater Hundsturm" in Margareten, the fifth district of Vienna. It is a place for experimental theater.