Dear audience,

We all go through life as the main character in our own story. Sometimes, it's good to be reminded that we also play a supporting role in the lives of others. Theatre shows us that we can slip into other roles, transform ourselves, and join in!

It is also a place where we can move away from the coldness of the world. A place where we ask ourselves: How do we come (back) together? These are questions we explore together with others in the audience. We learn to see them as fellow players in our own lives. After all, the world has many protagonists besides ourselves.

Our upcoming season invites you to respond to the world with us – with imagination and a great deal of humor – as seen in our productions celebrating the 2025 Johann Strauss Year.
Many productions, including Spring Awakening, The Magic Flute, and Cinderella’s Dream, place a young generation at their center – a generation that perhaps has not yet grown cynical, one that can teach us something about hope, naivety, and confidence!

I also look forward with great optimism to working with Alessandra Ferri, the new director of the Vienna State Ballet. Her vision supports our pursuit of an open music theatre without boundaries.

In a world that is often harsh, we choose uncompromising vulnerability – together with you!

Lotte de Beer

In the 2025/26 season, our programme features twelve premieres, two revivals, seventeen repertoire works, and numerous special events.

While Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), Hoffmanns Erzählungen (The Tales of Hoffmann), Der Zarewitsch (The Tsarevich), and Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice) – long-standing staples of our house – are being revisited with a fresh perspective, Aschenbrödels Traum (Cinderella’s Dream) and Killing Carmen are entirely new works created specifically for the Volksoper, inspired by existing works or fragments.

Joining them are a variety of pieces including the British cult operetta The Pirates of Penzance, the rock musical Spring Awakening, Titus (a chamber version of Mozart’s final opera created for our opera studio), as well as Die Fledermaus – Pride Edition and the revival of Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier.

The Vienna State Ballet, under the new artistic direction of Alessandra Ferri, presents Marie Antoinette and American Signatures, as well as the long-awaited revival of Peter Pan, a beloved audience favorite.

Discover all premieres of the 2025/26 season here