mercimax

CAR BALLET

A Ride through the Streets of Vienna

brut+, Karlsplatz 5, 1010 Wien

Performance Austrian premiere in German

{city in the focus} {limited admission} {out of the box}

On brut’s opening weekend, the Swiss theatre collective mercimax presents a nostalgic private car choreography: Car users of Vienna invite the audience to their vehicles to take them on a ride out of the first district and through the streets of Vienna while celebrating and at the same time critically reviewing the myth of the private car in interviews and stories.

The automobile, this romantic and destructive symbol of freedom, will not live to see the future of mobility. There are hardly any drivers today who have never reflected on the use, uselessness of and consequences associated with driving a car. Needless to say, Vienna is one of the cities where public debate about car users and traffic is ubiquitous. After redesigning Mariahilferstraße, plans have now been presented for traffic abatement on Gumpendorfer Straße as well. And more and more cars that belong to car sharing companies add to the image of the typical Viennese melange of automobiles, bikes and fiacres. All the more reason to take another very close look at the car as such.

The mercimax theatre collective was established in 2006 and uses its name to give thanks to a Swiss high-seas sailor. At the moment, the group shows a particular interest in formats taking place outside theatre venues and in playing with the spectator’s perspective. CAR BALLET ist mercimax’s fifth production.

Talk with the artists, moderated by Maik Novotny, on November 1, 4.30 pm at brut, Karlsplatz 5, 1010 Vienna. Admission free!

Credits

Featuring
Marija Angerer, Domi Hocher, David Jagerhofer, Julius Lankes, Hannah Lichtenwagner, Sonja Metz, Ursula Napravnik, Yvonne Nather, Howard Nightingall, Laura Nitsch, Nina Ober, Francesca Tappa, Joanna Wilk

Artistic directors, concept and staging
Karin Arnold, Jessica Huber

Dramaturge
Marcel Schwald

Music
Simon Berz (live composition and performance), Mischa Robert (audio tracks)

Set & costume design
Mirja Fiorentino, Judith Steinmann

Graphics
Luca Schenardi

Diffusion
Joyce Tetteh

Head of production
Nadine Tobler

A project of Zurich-based theatre collective mercimax in co-production with Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik Zürich. Kindly supported by the City of Zurich, the Canton of Zurich, Pro Helvetia, the Canton of Zug, Fondation Nestlé pour l’Art.