Student Blog: Studying Theatre Outside of the Classroom

This semester, I’m continuing my education abroad in Vienna, Austria!! I’m using this opportunity to take courses that my university (Wake Forest) requires outside of my majors. Specifically, I am completing my humanities divisional requirement by taking a history class and a religion class. Though I will not be directly studying theatre in class, there will be many ways I can expand my theatre knowledge out and about in Vienna. To help hold myself accountable, I’ve put together a bucket list of things to do this semester to keep my theatre education alive outside of the classroom! Additionally, if anyone has any recommendations for things to do in Vienna, please let me know!! 

Visit the TheaterMuseum With the museum pass included in my program, I get free admission to the TheaterMuseum of Vienna. They have theatre exhibits, as well as collections of scenic renderings, costumes, and more. I hope to take full advantage of my access to this museum by visiting all of their exhibits and collections, as well as their extensive library.  

Visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral Within the first week of arriving in Vienna, I’ve already visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral and some of the other gorgeous Viennese churches. They have beautiful architecture and massive organs, and I would love to see a concert at St. Stephens or another local church at some point.

Marvel at all the architecture Viennese architecture is simply stunning. Most of it is in the Baroque style, but there is a great variety found around the city. I’m trying to take many photographs so I can remember the designs and themes. I hope to use these as visual research for future theatrical projects.

See an opera I will take any chance I get to see a live performance!! Vienna has great student rush tickets (as low as four euro), so I can attend these performances without breaking my bank. 

See theatre Theatre tickets here are so much cheaper than in the States. Of course expensive tickets exist, but there are so many affordable options. I’m hoping to spend no more than 25 euro on any show I see. There are a plethora of shows being produced in Vienna at any time, performed in both English and German. I would love to see some in English so I can understand the lines, but I also want to see some in German to experience a performance without understanding the exact dialogue. I think this will help me better appreciate everything that goes into a performance other than the words.

Meet a mutual connection A friend from the States has put me in touch with an actor from Vienna. I hope to grab coffee with him at some point to hear about what the theatre scene is like in Vienna!

Everything is theatre. This is true everywhere if you think about it long/deep enough, but it’s especially true in one of the cultural centers of the world. I’m excited to absorb everything this beautiful city has to offer. I know I’ll be able to apply it to future theatre making.