1.840.226 people with 181 different citizenships were registered as residents of Vienna in 2016, and that’s sheer diversity. Whether bred-in-the-bone Viennese, newcomer from one of the provinces or weekend tourist, an enormous variety of people shapes this city. Ever since July, the space and place initiative’s project series WIEN LEBT has taken Vienna’s diversity as a basis for their city projects entitled A g’mischter Satz (A Field Blend). To conclude the series in November, brut and WIEN LEBT will join up with Theater im Bahnhof to host an evening revolving around the subject of diversity in Vienna.

The regular brut series GUESTS – A Talk-Show Concentrate features Pia Hierzegger of Theater im Bahnhof as a genial but merciless interviewer probing different Vienna personalities one after the other in intimate one-on-one conversations. The questions, drawn at random, may range from the current political situation to intimate personal issues. Their purpose is not to explain, expose or denounce. Instead, the audience should be given insights into the guests’ worlds and the country’s mentality. And yet, sometimes there might be a point where unpleasant follow-up questions are in order… Thus unfolds a vivid selection of greatly varying insights, views and perspectives during each show.

Graz-based Theater im Bahnhof makes contemporary theatre for the people and deals with the Austrian identity between tradition and pop culture. Austria’s largest professional but independent theatre company has been regularly featured in brut’s programming.