in VIENNA and In the Austrian provinces of
LOWER AUSTRIA, TYROL and CARINTHIA.

ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre (Austria)

WOLFGANG BORCHERT
„THE MAN OUTSIDE“ + ERNST TOLLER „HINKEMANN, THE GERMAN“

 

Two important theatre plays written by two exceptional poets. The main character in Borcherts play Beckmann comes back to Germany from the Second World War, there he has served as a soldier. But Beckmann cannot integrate himself into the post-war society of Germany. The main character of Tollers play Beckmann comes back from the First World War, there he has served as a soldier. And Hinkemann is traumatized by the experiences happened at the theatre of war.

ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre (Austria)

WOLFGANG BORCHERT
„THE MAN OUTSIDE“ + ERNST TOLLER „HINKEMANN, THE GERMAN“

These two important theatre plays are set in correspondence demonstrating that war is no solution, because to win a war means to loose peace. Borchert died one day after the world premiere in 1947 at the age of 26 years.

„TALKING GLOVES“
Visual Theatre adopted from the pictures "Sower and Devil / Storm. The Nameless / Dead Victims / The Risen Lord" by Albin Egger-Lienz and the poems "Guard / Patrol / War Grave" by August Stramm

Performed by Rita Hatzmann, Alexander Mitterer, Werner Mössler,
Markus Pol and Markus Rupert.

"Talking Gloves" allow that five sensed people will have access to communicate with deafblind persons. In history there have been created several forms of communication by deafblind themselves. Deafness and deafblindness sometimes are the result of war as shown by the example of the American physician William Terry, who became deaf and blind in the American Civil War and created even a two-handed manual alphabet in order to communicate with its surroundings further. During the First World War "Talking Gloves" have been used for communication with blind and deafblind people, who have become blind or deaf or deafblind. So the finger spelling and sign language of the deaf and the communication systems of the deaf and blind came in use. For the five sensed audience the performance includes spoken German too. Visual art and poetry are in the focus of this visual theatre performance. That form of visual theatre is adopted from the pictures "Sower and Devil / Storm. The Nameless / Dead Victims / The Risen Lord" by Albin Egger-Lienz and the poems "Guard / Patrol / War Grave" by August Stramm in using the sign language of the deaf and the communicationssystems of the deafblind. For the five sensed audience the performance includes spoken German too.

Rupert Bergmann, Christoph Traxler, Werner Mössler (Austria)

HELEN KELLER / WILHELM JERUSALEM „STRIKE AGAINST THE WAR!“

In 1914 the governments and rulers of the Central Powers in Europe, namely those of the Multiple monarchy of the Imperial House of Habsburg and the House of Hohenzollern from the German Reich successfully prevented a a localization of the war on Serbia in July 1914. Both started an European War in the neutral state of Belgium. The deaf-blind writer and Human rights activist Helen Keller (1880-1968) gave in 1916 her programmatic speech "Strike Against The War" at the Carnegie Hall in New York. She called all people, not to participate at any war and any military service, because "every modern war has its roots in exploitation." She was assisted by the Viennese philosopher and pacifist Wilhelm Jerusalem (1854-1923), he was the first who discovered the literally talent of Helen Keller. The points of view of Keller and Jerusalem are a current warning to all who see in the productions of weapons and military service any possibility of solving problems.

 

„100 - A MARATHON OF MODERN THEATRE IN THREE SECTIONS“
When the world of art and theatre freed itself from the fetters of the court aristocracy, about the avantgarde of the modern theatre at the end oft he Great War in dance, music and drama presented with the expression of visual theatre. More than 100 plays, scenes and dramas will be performed:

I
THEO VAN DOESBURG „NOTATION OF A RUSSIAN DANCE“
WLADIMIR MAJAKOWSKI „DAILY ORDER TO THE ART ARMY“
PAUL KLEE „MARTIAL TRIBE“
HUGO BALL „CARAVAN“
FANCESCO CANGIULLO „THERE IS NO DOG“
PAUL SCHEERBART „LONG LIVE EUROPE!“
HUGO BALL „KEEN“
FRANCESCO CANGIULLO „DETONATION“
II
VIKTOR ULLMANN „PRECISION, GENTLEMEN, IS THE MAIN THING“
MAURICE MAETERLINCK „THOUGHTS ABOUT SPORT AND WAR“
ARNOLT BRONNEN „PLATOON TO THE EASTERN POLE – THE BATTLE OF KABUL“
WILHELM JERUSALEM TO HELEN KELLER „WAR IS OVER, BUT THIS PEACE IS NO SOLUTION“
FRIEDRICH WOLF „THE MARINERS OF CATTARO“
MARTHA STEINITZ „HEROES OF GOODNESS“
ERNST TOLLER „A BULLET FLEW FROM BEHIND“
DALTON TRUMBO „JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN“
SERGEJ PROKOFIEV / SERGEJ EISENSTEIN „ALEXANDER NEWSKI – THE BATTLE ON THE ICE“
III
DANIIL CHARMS „THE SHAMELESS“
PAUL SCHEERBART „WAR THEATRE“
DANIIL CHARMS „I LOCKED UP“
MARINETTI CORRA SETTIMELLI „THE FUTURISTIC SYNTHETIC THEATRE“
DANIIL CHARMS „HISTORIC INCISION“
ALFRED LIECHTENSTEIN „FAREWELL“
DANIIL CHARMS „DIALOGUE“
PAUL SCHEERBART „TWO GENTLEMEN“
AUGUST STRAMM „WAR GRAVE“ PAUL KLEE „SPUCK“
AUGUST STRAMM „PATROL“
WILFRED OWEN „DULCE ET DECORUM EST“
AUGUST STRAMM „ATTACK“
ANDREAS LATZKO „NOT A SINGLE FACE“
AUGUST STRAMM „BATTLEFIELD“
GIUSEPPE UNGARETTI „POEMS FROM THE GREAT WAR“
AUGUST STRAMM „VIGIL“ DŽEVAD KARAHASAN „
THE MAPS OF SHADOWS – THE BEAUTY OF GOING AWAY“
Performed by Jolanta Znotina. Liva Kolmane (Latvia), Erica Siegel, Kevin Primeaux, Tim McCarty (USA), Teatr 3 Szczecin (Poland), Students of the Kingiseppsraja Gymnasium (Russia) and the New Highschool Klagenfurt-Wölfnitz and Rita Hatzmann, Werner Mössler, Markus Pol and Markus Rupert (Austria).

Videos

 

DŽEVAD KARAHASAN / THEODOR BURKALI „PRINCIPLE GABRIEL“
The music theatre project "Principle Gabriel" is the bridge from Sarajevo via Vienna to Terezín / Theresienstadt. Gavrilo Princip was sentenced to life imprisonment by order of the Viennese Administration in the Small Fortress in Terezín for the fatal shootings of the heir to the throne of the royal family of Habsburg Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie on June 28, 1914.
Princip escaped only from the death penalty, because he was at the time of the assassination underage. The Small Fortress in Terezín was used by the administration of the royal family of Habsburg as a military prison. There it was Princip forbidden to speak, to write and to read. The walls of the fortress were damp and cold in the winter. This led to injury the detainee Princip; in consequence he died on 28.Apirl 1918 in Terezín. In the cell wall, he had scratched the following text: "Our minds will wander through Vienna at the court wander and scare so called gentlemen.” From the perspective of the military psychiatrist Dr. Pappenheim the Bosnian poet Dževad Karahasan wrote a "diary of observation" about the imprisoned Princip. In the log of Dr. Pappenheim about Princip there can be found some personal comments of Princip himself, because in principle it was Princip allowed to communicate only with Dr. Pappenheim. The last notice in the log of Dr. Pappenheim about Princip is dated on January 12, 1918. There we read the following comment: "Overall fatigue, but conscious. Pointed to me with his eyes to listen to him whispering the following sentence: ‘They fear me, because they could not endure my freedom. They have given me just only the body, and now you see with horror that even the body explode, so long as life is in it.’” In 2018 it is the 100th anniversary of the death of Gavrilo Princip, he died as a prisoner in the High Security Prison in the Small Fortress of Terezin, the „Guantanamo“ of the Hapsburg-Empire. The Hungarian composer Theodor Burkali from Gyor works with the text of Karahasan for the musical composition.

 

TIM MCARTY „I CARRY THE FLAG“
VISUAL THEATRE ADOPTED FROM THE POEM „THE LAY OF LOVE AND DEATH OF THE CORNET CHRISTOPH RILKE“
BY RAINER MARIA RILKE
The famous cycle of poems written in prose by Rainer Maria Rilke tells about the life and death in times of wars. A new visual interpretation by artists from Latvia, USA and Austria. The Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) wrote this poem from 1899 to 1906. A certain Christoph Rilke fought in the campaign of General Montecuccoli against the Turkish army during the first Austrian war against the Turks from 1663 to 1664. Christoph Rilke died in one of the battles. The young Christoph Rilke crosses the fields of Hungary. At night at the fireplace the young soldier sees how a French soldier kisses a rose. Prostitutes are also around. During the campaign Christoph Rilke becomes the rank of a Cornet. Now he carries the flag. He meets a woman, who was tied on a tree. He writes a letter to his mother. The army comes more and more nearer to the battlefield. He sees a dead farmer. They arrive at the castle, where they are welcomed. At the morning the enemy starts the attack on the battlefield. But Cornet Christoph Rilke is not on his place. He spent the night with the countess. In the meantime the castle is burning. Cornet Christoph Rilke has to save the flag and then immediately he runs to the battlefield and dies. His mother will get the message about the death of her son.

 

"THE PLAY OF VOTING OR THE TRIP TO THE UNKNOWN LAND" 10.00 am
We are constantly and invariably confronted with the phenomenon that we must “select” and choose" or “vote”. We have to elect our President of the Republic of Austria, we have to vote for the composition of the Austrian Parliament. We have to choose and select from time to time what we want to wear. We have to choose and select what we want to eat and what we can eat. We have to make decisions, make resolutions, select winners by participating in votings. We have to learn permanently to choose and make use of the right to choose. This process of "eternal election" is the basis for this play and theatre journey. Since November 1918 in the Republic it is possible that men and women can vote as the citizens with the equal right, that we have to notice and not to forget.


"BACK TO THE FUTURE - TIME TRIPS TO JOSEPH II IN PARIS 1777, IN VIENNA 1779 AND 1790 AND TO THE WORLD EXHIBITION IN VIENNA 1873" 11.00 am
The Republic of Austria has important institutions which preserve the identity of the Republic of Austria and its memory. These include the Austrian State Archives and also the Austrian National Library too. With the artistic concept of time trips the places will be visited who are related to authentic stories of the deaf education in the history of the city of Vienna. The first three time trips are related to Joseph II and the years 1777 in Paris and 1779 and 1790 in Vienna. The brief period of enlightenment under Joseph II brought the deaf community in Vienna the first public educational institute. Joseph II is personally engaged to improve the living conditions in his empire and undertakes many journeys. Such a journey also took him to Paris in 1877 to visit his sister Marie-Antoinette. And on 7th May 1777, he attended the deaf lecturer, Abbé de l'Epée, and attended his classes with deaf students.. In 1779, Joseph II has founded in Vienna the first public institute for the education of deaf people by establishing a school education for the deaf so that deaf people can subsequently master their lives also through education. The fourth time trip leads to the world exhibition organized at Vienna in 1873. In the official report on the world exhibition, consisting of 95 volumes, the XXVI group, which is dedicated to education, also reports about education for the blind and the deaf have been presented in the context of the world exhibition. Internationally, this part of the World Exposition on Deaf Education has also been honored, E.M. Gallaudet from the world's only university for deaf people in Washington D.C. visited the world exhibition in Vienna in 1873 and worked an official report about the world exhibition for the US government. The educational part of the world exhibition curated by Édouard Séguin has been honored in the official report by the US government. Visual theatre about exciting times with visual music and drums!

Visual Theatre by Tim McCarty (USA) with Quest:
Visual Theatre from Lanham (Maryland / USA).

„TALKING GLOVES“
Visual Theatre adopted from pictures by Albin Egger-Lienz and poems by August Stramm directed by Herbert Gantschacher and Werner Mössler "Talking Gloves" allow that five sensed people will have access to communicate with deafblind persons. In history there have been created several forms of communication by deafblind themselves. Deafness and deafblindness sometimes are the result of war as shown by the example of the American physician William Terry, who became deaf and blind in the American Civil War and created even a two-handed manual alphabet in order to communicate with its surroundings further. During the First World War "Talking Gloves" have been used for communication with blind and deafblind people, who have become blind or deaf or deafblind. So the finger spelling and sign language of the deaf and the communication systems of the deaf and blind came in use. For the five sensed audience the performance includes spoken German too. Visual art and poetry are in the focus of this visual theatre performance.

 

 

„THE FOUR SEASONS“
How does winter feel? How does spring smell? How do you understand summer? How does autumn taste? Now the winter is often very cold, ice cold, the water freezes to ice, soil, meadows, forests, mountains, houses, villages, cities are snow-capped at least here in our Central-European landscape. And when it gets really saucy, one speaks literally of the Siberian cold, which penetrates from the vastness of Russia to Central Europe. In the spring, the lakes, streams and rivers are clearing off ice, the water rushes down the valley, snowdrops and snow droids announce spring, the meadows become as green with grass, flowers are blossoming, trees swing in the wind with their green branches, fruit trees are blossoming too. Cows, sheep, goats are moving to the mountains. The migratory birds return from their long flights from Africa and Asia. Spring is a celebration of colors and smells. The summer is warm and hot, sometimes it is also too hot. It is the time of mowing the meadows and harvesting the fields, straw bales are lying around. Autumn is the time for finishing harvesting of fruits and vegetables, the forests become discolored, leaves fall from the trees, only the needles of the spruces, firs, pine remain green. The animals are coming back from the mountains to the valleys. The migrating birds fly back into warmer plains with their long trips to Africa and Asia. Oh yes, so deaf-blind can go through the course of the year. A pioneer of the scientific study of the deaf-blind has at last settled down in Vienna; the talk is about the philosopher, reform educationalist and pacifist Wilhelm Jerusalem, who has written the first monograph about the one-sensed Laura Bridgman, has been in conversation with the two-sensed Marie Heurtin, and is the founder of the literary talent of the three-sensed Helen Keller. So Wilhelm Jerusalem has brought the diversity of the world of the deaf-blind to the five-sensed world.

                            

QUEST VISUAL THEATRE (Maryland, USA)

The US-American partner theatre of ARBOS – Company of Music and Theatre is QUEST VISUAL THEATRE based in Maryland in the USA. They will play an important role at the 19th European and International Visual Theatre Festival VISUAL 19. Since the year 2000 QUEST and ARBOS have developed models of artistic cooperation on an extra ordinary level. The artistic director of QUEST, Tim McCarty, has been involved in the nineties of the 20th century two times artistically on the inauguration of US-American Presidents as a project director for translating and performing songs for performing as Visual Music in American Sign Language performed by US-American deaf artists. And in 2002 QUEST has been responsible for the organisation and curating the cultural programme of DEAFWAY II at the US-American Capital Washington D.C. on the campus oft he Gallaudet-University and in the city of Washington D.C. In the year 2018 QUEST will have an important role with deaf artists performing at the festival VISUAL 19 in Vienna and the Austrian Provinces Carinthia, Lower Austria and Tyrol. For the Austrian Provinces QUEST will produce on commission of ARBOS a new family friendly play performing on the following dates:

14th May 2018, 9.00 am AULA of the NMS Klagenfurt-Wölfnitz, CARINTHIA
15th May 2018, 8.30 am VS Grafenegg-Etsdorf, LOWER AUSTRIA
16th May 2018, 8.00 pm Theatre PERPETUUM St.Pölten, LOWER AUSTRIA
17th May 2018, 8.00 pm Die Bäckerei, Innsbrucks Kulturbackstube, TYROL

War-disabled - deaf - blind - deafblind

Horst Dittrich, former vice-president of the Austrian Deaf Association,
„Deafness and Sign Language in the Past and in the Present“

Mag. Dr. Georg Fraberger, Clinical Psychologist, University Clinic for Orthopedics and Traumatology, Medical University of Vienna: "Disabled Living - Life Disabled"

Prim. Univ. Prof. Dr. Herwig Swoboda, ENT Department, Hospital Hietzing, Vienna: „Deafness: History“

Univ. Prof. Dr. Gerold Holzer, ENT Department, Hospital Hietzing, Vienna:
„War-disabled 1918 - 2018“

 

Programme 14.00 – 16.00 Uhr

Tim McCarty, President of QUEST, Lanham (Maryland / USA) „The Situation of War-Disabled and Death on the Battlefield in the Arts demonstrated by the example of Rilke’s
The Lay of Love and Death of The Cornet Christoph Rilke
realized as Visual Theatre entitled I Carry The Flag

Afterwards discussion

"I see what you do not see"

 

Meisterklasse-Workshop mit dem Schlagwerker Adi Schober

“Music To See and Music To Feel” - master class workshop with the percussionist Adi Schober

Music is not a subject just for listening only. Music is also made to see, feel and comprehend. This is evident for percussion and the main focus of this workshop. This masterclass workshop, which will be offered in THEATER SPIELRAUM in Vienna from 13th May 2018 to 18th May 2018, demonstrates how music feels. Inquiries and registration by e-mail compulsory at the dead of dramaturgy Karl-Heinz Jäger E-Mail: arbos.drama@arbos.at

Daily at 7.30 pm
(and Sunday 4th of May and Friday 9th of May at 1.30 am)
an introduction in Austrian Sign Language,
International Signs, German und English language.

Admission free!

 

REDUCED TICKET SELLING IN ADVANCE IN VIENNA ONLY AT THE WITAF The reduced ticket prices in advance for 8, - € (reduced price for the Deaf and club ticket holders) and
13, - € (full price) and the festival pass for 55, - € for all performances.

Advance ticket sales will take place only at the WITAF.

 

EVENING BOX OFFICE & TICKET RESERVATIONS The ticket prices at the ticket office are 10, - € (reduced price for the Deaf and card club owners) and 15, - € (full price) and the Festival Pass by 60, - € for all performances.
Ticket reservations are possible at the THEATRE SPIELRAUM
Telefon 01 - 713 04 60 60 & E-Mail : karten@schauspielhaus.at



DIRECT RESERVATIONS at ARBOS by SMS and phone at 0664-7936915.

"The 5 Senses"
  by Burgis Paier at Wiener Schauspielhaus daily at 6 pm, Admission free

" O, feel not our limitations, but the use we make of them." This words of Helen Keller are taken from a letter to the Viennese Philosopher Wilhelm Jerusalem in 1905 and they are the general theme of the visual theatre play "The 5 Senses" working with the biographies of five women:

Pig Alm - Schweinealm

In the black-yellow-red-blue Transhumance and farce with songs "PIG ALM" Commissioner vulgo Mitterer investigates and hunts in special operations fugitives. The Commissioner has to deal with the following persons: Schüssel, The Ghost of Richard Wagner, Dwarfhitler, the fugitives Tom & Jerry (deaf as a nut or play like deaf, but who does not hear, must feel!),
Two women (with and without a burkha) and the Chör Burkhawomen, they concocted the comedy on the "SCHWEINEALM".

Heaven on Earth

"Heaven of Earth" is written by Herbert Gantschacher and shows in the videoclip the baptism including a song. A comedy is the one possibility to work with the issue of child abuse on stage. "We can achieve the tragic out of comedy" said the Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The art of theatre can create a real situation. Especially a comedy can deal with that. The tragedy is the most exigent form of art. A tragedy requires a designed world. The comedy -- unless if it is a social comedy regarding to the art of drama of Molière - is a formless in a process of revolution existing world like ours to pack up and slip away. Child abuse did not stop before deaf children. One of the culprits declared, he loaded the sins of deaf young people on his shoulders. If he would "play" with the deaf boy one time a week, then their needs are satisfied and they would not have sex with each other. "I felt, whether they like it or not. They pushed me not away, so they liked it." After it it was usual to pray and to confess. The "sollicitatio" is the tempation to immorality has taken place also in the confessional, one of the holiest places of the church. Other perpetrators have purchased in the "holiday paradise" Morocco homes with the only target to have sex with minor boys

Documentary about the Misuse of the 'Protected'

The dark comedy "Heaven on Earth" written by Herbert Gantschacher is using original documents from three centuries with a foreplay, a main event and an epilogue focuses on the taboo topic of sexual abuse of deaf children. We know them all, in the service of the church acting Dr. W., Father M., Father H., Priest I. and Priest S. They are acting out examples of God's flock, serving, who have committed an offense of abuse of deaf youth also. For such Personal Jesus has called for the death penalty." But whoso shall offend one of these little who believe in me, it were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he would drown in the sea because it is the deepest" (Matthew 18 ).


Once Upon A Time In The Past … Once Upon A Time In the Future …

1777 the enlightened Emperor Joseph II, made a trip from Vienna to Paris, there he met on the 7th May 1777 the Abbé de l’Epée. Josef II. saw how Abbé de l’Epée teached deaf students in sign language. In his travel journal, which has now been discovered for the first time by the department for science, research and education of ARBOS in the Austrian National Archives. Two years later Josef II. found worldwide the first national and public institute for the education of deaf people, which today is the National Institute for Deaf Education in Vienna. But then judged scholars - among them the philosopher Immanuel Kant - said that the sign language is not a language. In 1880, the Milan Congress banned the use of sign language in education. Deaf people are no longer taught in their native language, but only in spoken language, although had philosophers and educators (Wilhelm Jerusalem and William J. Stern) proved scientifically, that deaf people must be taught with finger spelling and sign language. Once upon a time in the past all languages were equal and once upon a time in the future all languages will be again equal including the sign language as the mother of all languages. These original documents are part of the performance


The 5 Senses

A Visual Theatre Play about the 5 senses (Touch / Smell / Taste / See / Hear) in a visual design to touch, to smell, to taste, to hear, to see. " O, feel not our limitations, but the use we make of them." This words of Helen Keller are taken from a letter to the Viennese Philosopher Wilhelm Jerusalem in 1905 and they are the general theme of the visual theatre play.

It has become apparent that there are no libraries for the Deaf, where they can "read" their language. And "reading" means for the deaf in addition to the reading of books and texts in German language and writing, "reading" of books and texts in Sign Language. From now on DVDs will be created, which will be part of that special "Visual Theatre Library" These DVD-books will have two DVDs inside, one only in Austrian Sign Language and the second one in Austrian Sign Language and German written language too. nebeneinander der Text zu lesen und die in Gebärdensprache zu sehen sein und natürlich auch zu hören.


Volume 1
Wilhelm Jerusalem – Helen Keller: ‚Briefe'

From 1890 to 1923 the Austrian philosopher Wilhelm Jerusalem has done in Vienna revolutionary research work about the education of Deaf and Deafblind. Since 1890 Jerusalem war in a constant correspondence with the deafblind writer und fighter for human rights Helen Keller. Their letter correspondence is the subject of this new documentary theatre.


Volume 2
Ich Can See Something
You Cannot See

Starting from child rhymes a scenario for a theatre play was developed. So it is possible to present the Sign Language also as a language for theatre to deaf, hearing impaired and hearing children. Theatersprache zu vermitteln und hörenden Kindern diese einzigartige Sprache als gleichwertige Kommunikationsform zur gesprochenen Sprache näherzubringen. Starting with "Tingling Tales" and coming to "Finger Plays", "Hand Fairy Tales", "First Steps", "Unnecessary Questions", "Picture Puzzles" and finally the ABC shown in Sign Language. Seven scenes for children and their teachers, parents and relatives. Awarded the European Label for Innovative Language Projects.


Volume 3
Declaration of the Rights
of Man and Citizen
(Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen) from 26th August 1789"

The "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen from 26th Augsut 1789" is one of the most important Human Rigths Texts in history. Later this Text was supplemented in 1791 with the "Rights of Women and Citizens". Now this fundamental text about Human Rights is now available also in Sign Language.

The European VISUAL Theatre Conference 2014 works on a very special issue about the international networking of deaf artists in Europe and worldwide. The conference also will reflect the activities of the last eleven festivals and conferences. Another topic of the conference will be professional education and workshops for deaf actors. Professional training courses and workshops for deaf arts in Europe focussing on theatre – this further education will be an enlargement for different expressions on stage. Following these intentions new artistic issues will be coming up. So artistic goals can be worked out on a high artistic level. "Languages are reflecting different point of views about the world" says Alexander von Humboldt, the famous researcher on languages. This we can say also about the Sign Language of the Deaf. The Sign Language has all characteristics of a language. The Sign Language is a visual language and a body language (the mother of all languages). The Sign Language is a "Language in Space" and is the best of all languages used on stage. In all European countries the Sign Language is the language of a cultural minority. ARBOS got in London the EUROPEAN ARTPRIZE of the FINANCIAL TIMES (Cerec-Award) for the work on the European Deaf Theatre Network. The reasons of the jury are the following: "A leading arts institution is taking the work of deaf artists to a wider European Audience".

Visual Theatre is a form of theatre with ist own artistic potential existing as any other forms of theatre with the same artistic power as all forms of theatre.

Visual Theatre gives the professional deaf theatre artists the opportunity to present their creation of theatre on stage.

There are a lot of different possibilities to present Visual Theatre on stage: theatre in sign language with deaf actors, theatre in sign language with deaf and hearing actors, visual choreographed theatre (starting from signs it is wonderful to create a choreography), visual music, music by feeling the vibrations, physical theatre, dance theatre and "story-telling" (the last one is only possible in the world of deaf theatre, because deaf artists can perform dramatic miniatures in sign language).

These different forms of Visual Theatre are part of a Universal Theatre Language.

Deaf theatre also exists only in the deaf world, but there by the way deaf theatre do not catch the whole public.

By going to the whole public (deaf and hearing people) Visual Theatre demonstrates the power of expression by deaf artists performed on the same level as all other forms of theatre.

Visual Theatre is Art!

In the performances of ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre and the presentation of that productions in Austria also in professional theatres as the Wiener Schauspielhaus or in the past at the "Kabelwerk", the "3raum-anatomietheater", the "Tanz Atelier" or the "Theater des Augenblicks" in Vienna, or in the present time at the "Toihaus" in Salzburg, the "neuebuehnevillach" and by the European and International VIsual Theatre Festival deaf artists get the same attention as all others.

So in the world of theatre equal possibilities for deaf artists exist.

But in everyday life such equality does not always exist. The best example for the equal rights of the sign language presents Finland. Since 1955 in the Finnish Constitution sign language has the same rights as all other languages of minorities in Finland in the daily life as the Swedish language, the Russian language, the language of the Romany and also the language of the Sami People in the arctic part in the north of Finland.

The Sign Language uses mime and gestures and hands. In every country of the world original sign languages exist with their own signs (and regional dialects as every other language). Every sign language has its own grammar. But the grammar in all sign languages is similar. Also in Austria exists an original sign language, which is very different to the German sign language. In Austria there are living 500.000 people who hearing impaired and 10.000 people who were deaf born. But sign language has one speciality more than other languages. For international communication deaf people are using "International Signs"; there are a number of signs existing, which are used in the communication between deaf people from different countries (we can compare that fact with the situation of "Esperanto", but that spoken language is an artificial one). As a visual "Language in Space" the sign language of the deaf is the best language for theatre and in the theatre of the world.

Horst Dittrich, deaf actor and translater and member of the board of ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre

In 1998 and 1999 in Vienna National Deaf Theatre Festivals presented by ARBOS happened. But in both festivals international deaf artists were involved as Howie Seago from Seattle (USA) or Juho Saarinen from Helsinki (Finland) or the VDN-Deaf Theatre of the Theatre Faculty DIFA of the Janaček-University JAMU with Prof. Zoja Mikotová from Brno (Czech Republic) or SENA Y VERBO (Mexico).

From that experience a concept for the development of a European & International Deaf Theatre Festival was presented to the Cultural Administration of the City of Vienna in Austria. Since the year 2000 the City of Vienna and their Cultural Administration and the City Councillors for Culture of the City of Vienna, Peter Marboe in the beginning and now Andreas Mailath-Pokorny, are the most important supporters of that extra-ordinary theatre festival, which is unique in Europe and in the world. Deaf and hearing artists present together their performances for a deaf and hearing audience.

55 Theatres & Artists & Institutions from 30 nations & from 4 continents presents their performances and their vision of theatre.
Theatres and Artists and Institutions in Alphabetical Order: ACCUS – Theatre (Austria), Marika Antonova (Latvia), ARBOS – Company for Music & Theatre (Austria), ART 2B Cuzco (Peru), Australian Theatre of the Deaf, Berlin Deaf Theatre Club found in 1881 (Germany), Bernard Bragg (USA), Theodor Burkali (Hungary), Carl Anthony Cockram (Great Britain), Deaf Theatre Kingston (Jamaica), Deaf Way II (USA), Divadlo NESLISYM Brno (Czech Republic), Draumasmidjan Reykjavik (Iceland), EFFETA Nitra (Slovakia), Robert Farmer (Australia), Finnish Deaf Theatre Helsinki, Gallaudet University Washington D.C. (USA), German Deaf Theatre, Gesture Theatre Berlin (Germany), Evelyn Glennie (Great Britain), Handtheater (Nederland), Hi ! – Theatre (Singapore), Hong Kong Theatre of the Deaf, International Visual Theatre Paris (France), Dževad Karahasan (Bosnia & Hercegovina), Arnold Kreuter (Austria), Łódźka Scena (Poland), Luzern Theatre (Suisse), Ramesh Meyyappan (Singapore), National Specialized Institute for the Arts Moscow (Russia), NEPANTO Praha (Czech Republic), "neuebuehnevillach"(Austria), New Art Studio Moscow (Russia), Trung Duc Anh Nguyen (Vietnam), Ingeborg Okorn(Austria) Kate O`Reilly (Ireland), P.S.I. Divadlo Brno (Czech Republic), Quest: arts for everyone (USA), Road Signs (USA), Juho Saarinen(Finland), Silent Theatre (Hong Kong), Spike Theatre Liverpool (Great Britain), Teatr Artystyczny "Głuchych Polska" Wrocław (Poland), Teatr 3 Szczecin (Poland), Teatr 3 Szczecin (Poland), Tyst Teater / Riksteatern – Swedish National Theatre, VDN-Deaf Theatre DIFA JAMU Janaček-University (Czech Republic / Latvia / Slovakia), ZDGN Theatre Ljubljana (Slovenia), Jolanta Znotina(Latvia) and new in 2014 Joshua Monten, Mirjam Berger (Switzerland), Simone Detig (Germany), Derrick Amanatidis (Greece), Nicky Vanoppen (Belgium), Ariel Cohen (USA).

Another important part of the festival is the "European Deaf Theatre Conference". This conference discusses every year the development of professional deaf theatre in Europe. Since 2002 a network of artists and theatres exists in Europe managed by ARBOS-Company for Music and Theatre. This conference happens since 2000 every year in Vienna (additional conferences happened in Helsinki/Finland, Berlin/Germany and Brno/Czech Republic).

Some of the projects and production of the festival got national and international awards:

EUROPEAN ARTPRIZE of The FINANCIAL TIMES (Cerec-Award) for the projects "Kar" music theatre for the mountains, "Inukshuk" the arctic-alpine art- und theatre project and the European Deaf Theatre concept. "

I can see something You cannot see" deaf theatre play for children for deaf and hearing children, parents, relatives and teachers: EUROPASIEGEL 2002 for innovative language projects.

"Theatre traps in the subway of Vienna" visible and invisible theatre in the stations of the subway lines U 1, U 2, U 3, U 4 and U 6: MAECENAS-Award 2002. "Speaking Hands" deaf theatre workshop project: EUROPASIEGEL 2002 for innovative language projects.

"Dada in Tramline 1 and Tramline 2" visible and invisible theatre at stations of the tramlines 1 & 2 in Vienna: MAECENAS-Award 2003.

"Actors Award" in Moscow for the Russian actor Igor Golyak for the festival production "Diary of a Mad Man" by Nicolai Gogol" 2003.

Let us look forward for the next years! And thanks to the City of Vienna hosting the festival since 2000! And welcome to our new partner in Vienna, the Wiener Schauspielhaus.

2017 / 2018

© Copyright: VISUAL 19, the European & International Visual Theatre Festival (= European & International Deaf Theatre Festival) is an original project of ARBOS – Company for Music and Theatre. Especially the text about the Austrian-Jewish philosopher Wilhelm Jerusalem and Helen Keller are based on personal research work of the artistic director Herbert Gantschacher. All rights belong to ARBOS and Herbert Gantschacher and Horst Dittrich.
A misuse of these texts or of parts of these texts by third parties will be fined. A use of these texts needs a written permission by Herbert Gantschacher and ARBOS or Horst Dittrich (for his text).

Program subject to change!