Profile
For more than 50 years, SZENE Salzburg has been an independent cultural organisation and a driving force for contemporary culture, cross-disciplinary art and innovative artistic formats in Salzburg. In 1986, SZENE Salzburg moved into the former Stadtkino cinema on Anton-Neumayr-Platz in the heart of the historic centre. From this location, it develops its work across four key areas.
The annual SOMMERSZENE festival is a platform for contemporary performing arts, bringing outstanding international and national artists from the fields of performance, dance, theatre, visual arts and music to Salzburg. The invited projects engage with current social issues and developments, exploring new perspectives and opening up spaces for public discourse through a wide range of formats and venues.
As a multidisciplinary cultural venue, SZENE Salzburg presents a diverse programme across a broad range of artistic disciplines. Events take place on more than 100 days a year, including dance, theatre, performance, concerts, readings, talks, cabaret, comedy, theatre for children and young audiences, as well as clubbings and dance events. Long-standing partners and co-presenters include the Salzburg Festival, Rockhouse Salzburg, ARGEkultur, the Mozarteum Foundation, SEAD, tanz_house Salzburg, Altstadt Marketing with Jazz & The City, Literaturfest and many others.
At a local level, SZENE Salzburg supports artistic development and creative processes by providing space and resources for rehearsals and productions. Independent performing artists can use a Studio on the building’s third floor free of charge which can also be used for public showings.
SZENE Salzburg is also active internationally. In 2000, it initiated the European network apap – advancing performing arts project. Its most recent project, apap – FEMINIST FUTURES, was co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. The project explored how art can contribute to profound social change and how feminist and community-oriented approaches can shape new ways of working and living in the performing arts.
With SZENE Lokal, the on-site restaurant, SZENE Salzburg is also one of the city’s most popular meeting places.
SZENE Salzburg is a member of
Dachverband Salzburger Kulturstätten and co-curator of the Choreographic Platform Austria.
