Origin
Objet trouvé from 2007, now a proper name signifying new art on stage, openness, experiment and processuality
Related terms
brut (designation for very dry sparkling wine), the German word “Brut” translating as brood (animals hatched from eggs) but also as brats (a group of people whose behaviour is regarded as outrageous) and Art brut (spontaneously designed art)
brut is a production and performance venue for the performative arts in Vienna. Since its inception in 2007, it has been among the most influential places in the independent performance, dance, and theatre scene. The brut programme stands for experimentation and interdisciplinarity as it showcases the free scene’s diverse and differential character. In addition to productions for theatre spaces, brut Wien realises site-specific projects and places an increased focus on process-oriented working, dialogues with the city, temporary performance sites, co-operation with institutions from related disciplines, and theory.
A number of independent artists from Vienna and Austria have been accompanied by brut as a co-production partner for many years. A good share of brut’s productions are international co-productions touring prestigious festivals and venues across the continent. Vice versa, brut enriches and stimulates the Vienna scene by inviting international guest performances, realising co-productions with artists from all over Europe, and committing itself to continuous engagement in EU-wide networks.
Since brut had to move out of its main venue in the Künstlerhaus in 2017 due to general renovation, its focus has been strongly on staging productions at various temporary venues and on site-specific projects. In September 2020, the question of a new permanent location for brut was resolved: the City of Vienna is renovating the building of the former central bank branch in St. Marx (Karl-Farkas-Gasse 16) in the 3rd district and converting it for theatrical use. The first major stage productions are expected to be staged there in fall 2027. In the meantime – from March 2021 until the end of the 2025/26 season – brut Wien will use brut nordwest, a temporarily used industrial hall at Nordwestbahnstraße 8–10 in Vienna’s 20th district, as a temporary venue. Construction on the complete renovation of the existing building in the 3rd district will begin at the end of September 2025. From fall 2026 until the opening of the new venue at Karl-Farkas-Gasse 16, brut Wien will perform at various temporary locations, primarily in the 3rd district, a container at Karl-Farkas-Gasse 16, and – as is currently the case – the studio brut at Zieglergasse 25 in the 7th district. In addition, brut Wien has already rented small office space at Karl-Farkas-Gasse 18, 1030 Vienna.
Kira Kirsch has been artistic director and managing director of brut Wien since 2015, and Stephanie Höltschl has been commercial managing director since 2024. In January 2022, Kira Kirsch’s artistic directorship was extended by the City of Vienna until the end of the 2025/26 season to ensure continuity during the planning and transition phase to the new location in Neu Marx. In June 2025, City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler appointed Tomasz Kireńczuk as future artistic director, who will take over in the summer of 2026.
brut is a founding member of
PAKT WIEN
Plattform der Häuser darstellender Künste
and also part of
The Vienna Künstlerhaus was built in 1868 to be a centre for social gatherings and exhibitions for Austria’s oldest still existing association of artists. Beginning in 1882, the historical building from the times of the Vienna Ring Road style was enhanced by two side wings to create the space needed for the first big international art exhibition to take place there. In 1949, a cinema was opened in the left side wing, originally called the German Hall. More than 20 years later, in September of 1972, the building’s right wing, once the French Hall, was rented out to establish a theatre venue. Until 1985, the right wing of the Künstlerhaus accommodated the Komödiantenhaus-Theater. In 1987, an initiative to re-open the theatre as the Political Stage of Künstlerhaus foundered on the decision of the then city councillor for culture, Ursual Pasterk, to instead open the venue to all independent companies along with another vacant venue at the Vienna Concert Hall (Konzerthaus), under the common name dietheater.
As a common umbrella for the Künstlerhaus and the Konzerthaus Theatres, dietheater was established on January 31st, 1989 as a sponsor organisation for the Wiener Theaterverein, with Christian Pronay as the artistic director and manager. From 1989 to 2007, dietheater presented the works of independent Austrian theatre companies, predominantly showing productions by Vienna-based artists. In addition, dietheater’s annual imagetanz festival provided an important forum for the Vienna dance scene.
In the summer of 2006, Theaterverein Wien placed a call for tender to find a new artistic director for the two venues at Künstlerhaus and Konzerthaus. The founding directors of the institution now named brut were Thomas Frank and Haiko Pfost, whose directorship was characterised by the restructuring of brut into an internationally oriented co-production space for the independent performance, dance and theatre scene. From 2007 to 2015, numerous Austrian productions were devised, presented and organised at brut, accompanied by international guestperformances as well as concert and party formats.
Kira Kirsch, former head dramaturge at the festival steirischer Herbst in Graz, has been the artistic director since autumn of 2015. brut places an increased focus on process-oriented working, dialogues with the city, temporary performance sites and cooperation with institutions from related disciplines since then.
In 2017, brut had to move out of its main venue at Künstlerhaus due to the general renovation. In the years after that, brut made appearances at various temporary venues all over Vienna. By February 2021, brut performances took place at a total of 90 venues in 19 Vienna districts. brut’s stage in Zieglergasse 25 in the 7th district was also subjected to a general renovation in recent years and is now known as studio brut. It became clear in 2019 that moving back to the Künstlerhaus would be impossible due to the steep increase in renovation costs. In September 2020, the question of a new permanent location was decided: the City of Vienna is renovating the listed building of the former central bank branch in St. Marx (Karl-Farkas-Gasse 16) in the 3rd district and converting it for theatrical use. The first major stage productions are expected to be staged there in fall 2027. In the meantime – from March 2021 until the end of the 2025/26 season – brut Wien will use brut nordwest, a temporarily used industrial hall at Nordwestbahnstraße 8–10 in Vienna’s 20th district, as a temporary venue. Construction work on the complete renovation of the existing building in the 3rd district will begin at the end of September 2025. From fall 2026 until the opening of the new venue at Karl-Farkas-Gasse 16, brut Wien will perform at various temporary locations, primarily in the 3rd district, a container at Karl-Farkas-Gasse 16, and – as is currently the case – the studio brut at Zieglergasse 25 in the 7th district. In addition, brut Wien has already rented small office space at Karl-Farkas-Gasse 18, 1030 Vienna.
In January 2022, the artistic direction of Kira Kirsch was extended by the City of Vienna until the end of the 2025/26 season to ensure continuity during the planning and transition phase to the new location in St. Marx. In June 2025, City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler appointed Tomasz Kireńczuk as the future artistic director, who will take over in summer 2026.