Readings, stand-up & discussions in Vienna

Readings, stand-up comedy, open mics, poetry slams & discussions in Vienna

Vienna and the spoken word? A love story that has endured for centuries. While silence is considered a virtue elsewhere, this city has developed a real passion for speaking thoughts out loud, throwing them onto stages and experiencing them together. And the best thing about it: you don't need to have studied literature to have a lot of fun. Whether poetry slam, spoken word, staged readings or cabaret with depth, in Vienna you will find the whole spectrum of the spoken word, all year round. The scene here is lively, surprisingly approachable and sometimes so honest that it almost hurts. In the best sense of the word. Anyone who has ever sat in the audience at a poetry slam and noticed how someone up there on stage puts into words in three minutes exactly what you could never express yourself knows what we are talking about. There are several series in Vienna that regularly make this experience possible. Textstrom, for example, is considered Vienna's oldest poetry slam and has been bringing poets together for years to perform their self-written texts live. FOMP, one of the largest organizers of poetry slams and related formats in Austria, also ensures that you won't run out of things to talk about any time soon with around 100 events a year. It's also worth taking a look at the series at the Ateliertheater, where greats from the local slam scene take to the stage once a month to bring short stories, novel excerpts and spoken word contributions to life. Then, of course, there is the Rabenhof Theater in the third district, which sees itself as contemporary folk theater and quite rightly so. Here, the program ranges from staged readings to cabaret and literary evenings, and the atmosphere never feels stiff or intimidating, but more like a good conversation with smart people in a cozy bar. That's also the trick with spoken word events in Vienna: you go to listen and come out with the feeling of having experienced something yourself. For those who don't just want to watch, but also want to take part, there are regular open mic formats where the stage is literally open to everyone, regardless of whether you have a prepared poem with you or want to try something out spontaneously. Vienna is also a city that takes its young word acrobats seriously. Events such as the U20 Poetry Slam at Dschungel Wien in the Museumsquartier show that the next generation of slam poets has long since arrived and has a lot to say. Between all the coffee house chats, discussions and staged word duels, Vienna has preserved its very own culture of spoken word that has remained both deeply rooted and fresh. Just take a look at the calendar of events, choose a format that makes you curious and show up, because the next reading, the next slam, the next big word is already waiting for you.