“FROM NOW ON THIS IS A FREE FESTIVAL”
with these words, woodstock became completely free. since then, music festivals, museums, and all kinds of different performances and happenings have done away with entry fees. in 2010, the sommerszene’s “free and outdoors” festival was a huge success. now all the dance and theater offerings of the szene have been made free: the words “from now on this is a free festival” apply to us as well.
how free can art be, when its availability is limited by societal and financial factors? can art be consumed, acquired like a tub of yoghurt? how can theater maintain meaning in a society of free online art and general freedom of access to all media? what is the consensus on the place of art in society? how free is a festival in terms of its outreach programs?
the szene is taking a radical step forward, opening the doors of the theater and making room for discussion. we believe that now is the time to subvert the routine, find new audiences and promote contemporary stage art. our mission doesn’t end with the removal of ticket prices. the szene offers strong outreach programs, opens dialog with the artists, puts on performances in the middle of public life which have something to say about the reality of the present. the szene makes it easier for the pieces to reach as many people as possible and tries to apply successful models from museums and visual arts to the theater.
although the performances are free, the festival uses a system of free tickets to guarantee seats for its visitors and requests that you reserve these as early as possible, as the amount of places in certain locations is limited.
this is a rich festival; it invites you linger, reflect, and concentrate and allows for unusual experiences and encounters. each day there are two often related performances which make up the daily program. several times, you have the rare opportunity to see two pieces by the same artist on one evening. and on many afternoons, the artists make themselves available in an informal setting for our “meet the artist” conversations. alongside the daily meeting point is a virtual platform for discussion at facebook.com/szenesalzburg.
like the array of challenges we face in the world today, our program spans across the borders of the different forms of art and is diverse and bright. it consists of contemporary dance, cutting-edge theater forms, performances, public installations, interactive conversations and dinner programs.
the sommerszene 2011 offers the unique chance to discover the elite of a young, engaged generation of artists and their current work. we invite you to take advantage of this chance and get involved in the discussion of your experiences during the festival.
michael stolhofer and the szene team
