Theater am Werk

What Theater am Werk does

Theater am Werk is a Vienna-based contemporary performing arts organization operating two physical venues — Kabelwerk in the 12th district (Meidling) and Petersplatz in the 1st district — that presents theater, dance, performance art, experimental circus, poetry slam, music theater, and late-night talk formats. The organization was formed in 2023 through the consolidation of the historic Garage X (Petersplatz, traceable to a documented cultural space at the site since 1873) with Werk X at Kabelwerk, and operates as a gemeinnützige GmbH (non-profit limited liability company) wholly owned by Theaterverein Wien. Programming centers on contemporary, socially engaged work produced in-house and through coproductions with anchors such as ImPulsTanz, Musiktheatertage Wien, aktionstheater ensemble, Tanz*Hotel, On the Edge Festival, and FOMP, serving a general cultural audience alongside episodic venue rental clients (corporate events, congresses, private celebrations).

The business model rests on three revenue streams: (1) ticket sales through the Oeticket online platform and box office, using both standard and pay-what-you-can honor-system pricing plus reduced rates for students, unemployed persons, and people with disabilities; (2) venue rental of both spaces for external events; and (3) recurring public cultural subsidies from the City of Vienna (Stadt Wien) and the Austrian Federal Ministry (BMKÖS). The technical footprint includes full LED lighting conversion at both venues and a photovoltaic installation at Kabelwerk, alongside wheelchair accessibility at both sites (level access at Kabelwerk, stairlift with prior registration at Petersplatz). Distribution and audience development run through a website, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, email newsletter, downloadable program brochures, Vimeo trailers, and press relations; the venue team numbers approximately 30 across artistic, technical, administrative, and front-of-house functions including a dedicated Audience Development lead.

Name

Theater am Werk

Legal name

Theater am Werk

Website

https://theater-am-werk.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Theater am Werk is a Vienna-based non-profit contemporary performing arts venue operating two sites (Kabelwerk and Petersplatz) that produces and hosts theater, dance, experimental circus, poetry slam, and music theater for general cultural audiences and corporate venue-rental clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Classical & Contemporary Theatre (Plays/Drama) (MPAGABAH), Dance Performances (THAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Contemporary performing arts
• Theater productions
• Live performance venue
• Performing arts programming
• Cultural event hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales for performances and events at both venues. Tickets sold online via Oeticket platform and at door.
2. Venue Rental: Both venues (Kabelwerk and Petersplatz) are available for rental for congresses, corporate workshops, cultural events, and private celebrations.
3. Public Funding: As a nonprofit theater company (gemeinnützige GmbH), the organization receives public cultural funding. The theater is owned by Theaterverein Wien and operates as a cultural institution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Theater am Werk operates as a contemporary performing arts venue in Vienna with two locations, the Kabelwerk in Meidling and the Petersplatz in the 1st district. The theater presents its own productions, guest performances, festivals, and coproductions spanning theater, dance, performance, circus, poetry slam, music theater, and experimental formats. It sells tickets directly to audiences via the Oeticket platform and on-site box office, rents its venues for events and corporate functions, and operates as a non-profit cultural institution supported by public cultural funding.

Product overview

Theater am Werk is a contemporary theater in Vienna operating two venues: Kabelwerk in Meidling (12th district) and Petersplatz in the Inner City (1st district). The theater presents diverse productions spanning contemporary theater, performance, circus, music, poetry slam, and experimental formats. Key offerings include the annual On the Edge Festival for experimental circus art, FOMP poetry slam events, Late Night Group Therapy talk shows, and various theater productions. The venue also offers rental services for events and prioritizes accessibility with wheelchair access, companion free entry, and content notes. Founded 2023 through consolidation of Werk X venues, the theater serves as a platform for contemporary performing arts in Vienna.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theater am Werk im Kabelwerk

Quantifiable outcome

• Two venues serving the Viennese cultural scene
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Spielboden DornbirnminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2026Spielboden Dornbirn is a cultural center in Vorarlberg, Austria. They coproduce with aktionstheater ensemble productions shown at Theater am Werk.
• On the Edge Festival (KreativKultur)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025ON THE EDGE is Vienna's first festival for experimental circus arts. The 2025 edition ran November 4-15 at three venues: Theater am Werk Kabelwerk, Theater am Werk Petersplatz, and Dschungel Wien. The festival presents international and Austrian artists exploring circus arts combined with dance, performance, and visual art.
• diverCITYLABminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 October 2025diverCITYLAB is a Viennese theater and performance collective focused on diversity and postmigrant perspectives. They coproduce 'Richterskala 7,8' with Theater am Werk.
• ImPulsTanz – Vienna International Dance FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 January 2025ImPulsTanz is Vienna's major international dance festival. They coproduce performances with Theater am Werk, including Elisabeth Bakambamba Tambwe's 'Beyond the Overflow' and other dance/theater works.
• FOMP (Verein für performte Literatur)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 October 2024FOMP is Austria's largest poetry slam and stage art organization, hosting their events and anniversary celebrations at Theater am Werk. They organize approximately 100 events and workshops annually in Vienna.
• Tanz*HotelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTanz*Hotel is an interdisciplinary contemporary dance and performance company founded in 1992 by choreographer Bert Gstettner. They present guest performances at Theater am Werk's Petersplatz venue, including their Gast*Spiele (guest performances) festival featuring dance poetry performances.
• Dschungel WienminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDschungel Wien is a youth theater venue that served as one of three locations for the On the Edge experimental circus festival 2025.
• aktionstheater ensemblecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe aktionstheater ensemble, founded in 1989 by director Martin Gruber, is a renowned Austrian theater group known for contemporary documentary theater. They have multiple coproductions with Theater am Werk including 'Wir haben versagt' and 'SPEED (kills content)'. The ensemble received the Austrian Kunstpreis für Darstellende Kunst in 2023.
• E3 EnsembleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerE3 Ensemble is a Viennese theater group founded in 2013, working on sociopolitically relevant contemporary themes. They present productions at Theater am Werk including 'IN ARBEIT' and 'Eine Ballettoper'.
• MEDEA PRODUCTIONminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEDEA PRODUCTION is a transdisciplinary arts association critically engaging with social and political themes from feminist perspectives. They coproduce with diverCITYLAB at Theater am Werk.
• Musiktheatertage WiencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusiktheatertage Wien is an annual contemporary music theater festival. They coproduce various performances with Theater am Werk including 'Stadt der Teufel' with glanz&krawall and 'Let me play the lion too'.
• Bäckerei SchwarzminorOthersBäckerei Schwarz provided friendly support for the 'Blutbrot' production.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dschungel Wien: Dschungel Wien is a public-funded youth theater venue in Vienna that has partnered with Theater am Werk as a co-venue for the On the Edge festival. It operates on a comparable nonprofit, publicly subsidized model with a defined thematic focus (youth and family audiences).
• Tanzquartier Wien: Tanzquartier Wien is Vienna's dedicated center for contemporary dance and performance, presenting international productions and coproducing with local artists — comparable to Theater am Werk on artistic programming focus and on its reliance on coproductions with dance companies like ImPulsTanz and Tanz*Hotel.
• Kosmos Theater Wien: Kosmos Theater is an independent Viennese theater focused on contemporary, sociopolitically engaged productions with a similar scale and public-funding model to Theater am Werk. Both venues compete for the same independent-theater audience and the same Austrian federal and municipal cultural subsidies.
• brut Wien: brut Wien is an independent performance venue in Vienna that produces and presents contemporary theater, dance, and performance — directly overlapping with Theater am Werk's core programming mix and target audience. It is the closest like-for-like comparator within the Viennese independent scene for coproductions, festival programming, and public-funding-supported operations.
• Theater Nestroyhof: Theater Nestroyhof (formerly Rabenhof) is an independent Viennese theater venue hosting contemporary drama and multilingual productions, similar in scale and independent-theater positioning to Theater am Werk. Both venues rely on public cultural subsidies and operate single-site or small-multiple-site programming.

Broad incumbents

• Volkstheater Wien: Volkstheater Wien is a major municipally-owned Viennese theater with annual operating budgets in the tens of millions of euros — substantially larger than Theater am Werk. It is comparable as a City-of-Vienna-subsidized theater competitor for audience and talent, but at a vastly different scale.
• Schauspielhaus Wien: Schauspielhaus Wien is one of Vienna's largest established dramatic theaters with a substantially bigger budget and audience reach than Theater am Werk. It is comparable as a theater institution operating in the same city and competing for the same public funding pool, but is broader in scope and not focused on independent/contemporary work.
• Theater in der Josefstadt: Theater in der Josefstadt is one of Vienna's oldest and largest traditional theaters, presenting a classical and contemporary repertoire. Comparable to Theater am Werk only at the level of being a Vienna-based theater venue; it operates at much higher scale with a different programming and audience profile.

Regional players

• Sophiensæle Berlin: Sophiensæle is an independent performance venue in Berlin presenting contemporary theater, dance, and performance with a comparable artistic profile and public-funding model to Theater am Werk. It is a meaningful peer for benchmarking German-speaking independent venue programming, though it operates in a different city and market.
• Kampnagel Hamburg: Kampnagel is a major independent performance venue in Hamburg hosting contemporary theater, dance, and international coproductions on a public-subsidy-funded model closely analogous to Theater am Werk. It serves as a useful comparability benchmark for German-speaking independent venue scale and funding dynamics outside of Vienna.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/theateramwerkofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/theater-am-werk
• Instagraminstagram.com/theater_am_werk_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Theater am Werk