"Theater in the Prater": Vienna's New Musical Palace Will Open in 2027

Fans of the Olympia Looping, marked by five rings in the Vienna Wurstelprater, must say goodbye to the roller coaster. However, the successor project - the new "Theater im Prater" - will also be a complete story. The planned new musical temple will be designed as an oval. On Monday, the responsible ATG Entertainment presented the details of the project already announced in December and expressed confidence in being able to start by the end of 2027.

"Theater im Prater": Opening Night in Vienna Set for November 2027

"Our planning is complete. The approval process is underway," said Joachim Hilke, ATG Managing Director for Central Europe, confidently, that the ambitious schedule for the project will hold. In November 2027, they want to celebrate the opening night. "If we succeed, it will be a record time," emphasized Hilke.

After all, the Theater im Prater is by no means a small fairground attraction, but a fully-fledged musical palace, which with 1,800 seats far surpasses the existing musical buildings in the city, the Ronacher and the Raimund Theater. The total costs amount to 100 million euros - completely borne by ATG. "The theater is 100 percent privately financed," Hilke stressed.

Since September 1, ATG has been the official tenant of the property, which is another sign that the Theater im Prater is not a temporary project, but a long-term conceived house. "This is a theater for eternity. It has no end date," Hilke made clear.

The building is being designed by the Vienna office DTFLR - responsible, among other things, for the Volkstheater renovation - and the London colleagues Haworth Tompkins. "Building a new theater is a unique opportunity," said Christina Kimmerle of DTFLR. A wood hybrid construction with a transparent facade, subtly colorful elements, and a focus on sustainability is planned.

Vienna's New Musical Palace: En Suite Performances Planned

Perhaps not for eternity, but for as long as possible, the plan is to show the individual shows in the house. The technically complex productions are to be performed en suite for as long as there is audience interest, although the exact program is still being kept under wraps. Whether it will be performed in English or German in the medium term will ultimately be decided by the audience. The opening will definitely take place in German.

The city and the city-owned musical company VBW are not seen as opponents, Hilke emphasized, as they have a different artistic profile. The cooperation with the city is going well. This may not be least due to the 350 new jobs in the theater itself, according to the study, and the projected overall economic benefit of the new musical theater amounting to 150 million euros.

ATG with Great Expertise

ATG, based in the United Kingdom, certainly has experience, as the group operates 71 theaters worldwide, including the Starlight Express Theater Bochum or the Admiralspalast Berlin in Germany, and the Piccadilly Theatre London or the Liverpool Empire Theatre in the United Kingdom.

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(APA/Red)

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