Volkstheater Wien

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective is coming to Rote Bar at Volkstheater. Since April 2022 exciting professional storytellers have been playing to full houses in Vienna, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer and host Turan Ali welcomes you to an exciting evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna – from a different set of different storytellers per show, including novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets and theatre-makers. It will feel like being the priest at a confessional… except you don’t need to keep it all a secret!

What the audience have said:
“Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

Join us on October 12th for our amazing line up:

Tamara Mascara is one of the most famous drag queens in Austria. She is also a celebrated DJ and an icon on the scene for her wild parties and performances. Austria knows her from appearing in the ORF show classic Dancing Stars and her colourful past means she has many amazing stories to tell. Prepare for Tamara as you've never heard her before – confessional storyteller! (Fotocredit: @davidemanuel_fotografie)

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written BBC drama and comedy for 20+ years. Since 2012 he has been a stage storyteller and more recently a stand-up comedian, with shows touring to London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Edinburgh. Ali is half Austrian.

Tom Crawley is a Vienna-based, actor, theatre director and translator. He regularly appears in Austrian theatre, solo performances, in film and on TV. In 2019 he directed Sarah Kane's Blasted for Mental Eclipse Theater House and Vienna Theatre Project.

Anna Esterbauer is a Vienna-based writer and storyteller who has performed in poetry slams and many storytelling evenings. Her stories focus mostly on the lives of women and on the contradictions surrounding all of us.


Deutscher Ankündigungstext:

Die erfolgreiche Geschichten-Reihe TRUE STORY NIGHTS vom Vienna Storytelling Collective kommt endlich in die Rote Bar. Seit April 2022 begeistern professionelle Storyteller*innen mit überraschenden, berührenden, lustigen und manchmal entsetzlich wahren Geschichten das Wiener Publikum. BBC-Autor und Gastgeber Turan Ali begrüßt Sie zu einem abwechslungsreichen Abend mit acht fesselnden und erstklassigen wahren Geschichten! Pro Ausgabe begeistern wechselnde Storyteller*innen, darunter Schriftsteller:innen, Comedians, Profis aus Radio, Film und Fernsehen, Performance- und Theaterkünstler:innen. Ein Abend voller Geschichten aus dem Beichtstuhl – ganz ohne Beichtgeheimnis!
Freuen Sie sich am 12. Oktober auf Tamara Mascara, Turan Ali, Tom Crawley und Anna Esterbauer.

Die Veranstaltung findet in englischer Sprache statt.

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continue at Rote Bar, following our sold out October show. Since April 2022 these exciting shows, with a different line up of storytellers each time, have been playing to full houses in Vienna, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer and host Turan Ali welcomes you to an exciting evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna. Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers per show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets and theatre-makers. It will feel like being the priest at a confessional… except you don’t need to keep it all a secret! Event in English.

What the audience have said:
“Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line up for our November 30th TRUE STORY NIGHTS:

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written BBC drama and comedy for 20+ years. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand up comedian. His stage shows have toured to London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Edinburgh. He is half Austrian, half Turkish now based in Vienna.

Josef Jöchl is one of Vienna's favourite stand up comedians. His one man comedy shows fill theatres in Wien and his latest premiere was featured on Austrian TV. He has many adventurous and sometimes shocking stories to tell. (Photo: Daniel Hill)

Neil McCarthy is an Irish poet living in Vienna. His poetry has been published since 2018 in many countries and languages, and his live performances are always very popular, with stories and humour surrounding his poems. A charming, witty, hugely engaging storyteller.

Alessandra Francesca is a vibrant poet, writer and performance artist. She is a glamorous and captivating regular storyteller with Vienna Storytelling Collective. Originally from the USA, now based in Vienna, she completes our very international line-up!

Join us for an exciting evening which shows why live storytelling is becoming, internationally, the next big thing.

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continue at Rote Bar with a Christmas/New Year special. Following sold out Vienna shows all year, these exciting storytelling evenings with a different line up of performers each time, bring you surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer and host Turan Ali welcomes you to a rollercoaster evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna, and this month, many surprising Christmas and New Year true stories as well. Including, what do you do if a famous film director and eight nuns are coming to your place for Christmas lunch? Why do so many relationships break up at Christmas and will we? And, can I find a place where Christmas does not exist? Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers for each show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets, singer-songwriters and theatre-makers. It will feel like being the priest at a confessional just before Christmas …. except you don’t need to keep it all a secret! Event in English.

What the audience have said:
“Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line up for our December 22nd TRUE STORY NIGHTS with a Christmas/New Year special:

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written BBC drama and comedy for 20+ years. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand up comedian. His stage shows have toured to London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Edinburgh. He is half Austrian, half Turkish, now based in Vienna.

Anne Johnson is an accomplished performer, storyteller and casual anthropologist. American by birth, Californian by nature and Czech by choice. She's the co-founder of Czech Theater (performing Czech plays in English) and created the performance event Comedius.

Dan Plews is a hugely experienced, award-winning singer-songwriter who has toured and performed internationally telling stories through his songs. He has appeared in music venues and festivals across Northern Europe, the USA and on BBC television.

Alina Nikolaou is a Greek-Austrian curator, social critic and regular storyteller at Vienna Storytelling Collective. Her stories range from serious to silly, provocative to humorous. She is co-director at TEDxVienna, where she grooms brilliant stories to bring them to life in the form of TED Talks.

Join us for another exciting evening which shows why live storytelling is becoming, internationally, the next big thing.

As 2023 starts, the hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continues in Volkstheater’s Rote Bar. Following sold out shows throughout 2022, these exciting storytelling evenings bring you a different line up of performers each time, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer Turan Ali is your host and welcomes you to a rollercoaster evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna. Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers for each show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets, singer-songwriters and theatre-makers. It feels like being the priest at a confessional, hearing such personal revelations …. but you don’t need to keep all these a secret!
Event in English.

What the audience have said:
“Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line up for our January 25th TRUE STORY NIGHTS:

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written BBC drama and comedy for 20+ years and is about to produce and direct Brecht’s Mother Courage for a new BBC production. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand-up comedian. His stage shows have toured to London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Edinburgh. He is half Austrian, half Turkish, now based in Vienna.

Keith Gray is a multi award-winning author from the UK who specialises in young adult fiction. His new novel The Den will be published later this year. He is also a co-founder of Sunday Writers’ Club – the Vienna-based writing community with a worldwide membership.

Julia Stipsits is an Austrian actress and a writer. She did her actor’s training in London and regularly appears on stage in Vienna, in German and English, as well as being a regular with Vienna Storytelling Collective. When she grows up she would like to appear in a remake of I Dream of Jeannie.

Ned Stranger is a British songwriter who originally studied law. He formed the indie-folk band August and After with his best friend from Cambridge University, releasing Cascades EP (2016) to media acclaim and millions of plays worldwide. Brexit pushed him to Vienna. His new projects include blending flamenco guitar with electro-pop, and a crime debut novel.

Join us for another exciting evening which shows why live storytelling is becoming, internationally, the next big thing.

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continues in Volkstheater’s Rote Bar. Following sold out monthly shows since April 2022 these exciting storytelling evenings bring you a different line up of performers each time, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer Turan Ali is your host each time and welcomes you to a rollercoaster evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna. Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers for each show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets, singer-songwriters and theatre-makers. It feels like being the priest at a confessional, hearing such personal revelations …. but you don’t need to keep all these a secret!

WHAT THE AUDIENCES HAVE SAID: “Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line-up for our February 21st TRUE STORY NIGHTS is Turan Ali, Patrick Lamb, Nathalie Rettenbacher and Patrick Lammer.

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written BBC drama and comedy for 20+ years and is about to produce and direct Brecht’s Mother Courage for a new BBC production. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand-up comedian. His stage shows have toured to London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Edinburgh. He is half Austrian, half Turkish, now based in Vienna.

Patrick Lamb is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer and one of Austria’s top voice over artists. You will have heard his voice many times without realising it is Patrick. Originally from Sheffield in northern England he has lived in Vienna for over 20 years, with stories galore from both countries.
Photo credit: Ida Vickers

Barbara Beisteiner is a stand-up comedian in Vienna who performs regularly at Viennese comedy clubs and is a stalwart of Gays and Theys comedy, the English language queer comedy outfit that has energised and refreshed the Vienna English comedy scene in recent years.

Patrick Lammer is a Vienna based singer-songwriter with a soft spot for exploring the extreme, in emotionally charged, epic piano pop songs and fragile ballads with deeply personal lyrics. His debut album “From The Cold" will be released January 27th, 2023.

Join us for another exciting evening which shows why live storytelling is becoming, internationally, the next big thing.

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continues in Volkstheater’s Rote Bar. Following sold out monthly shows since April 2022 these exciting storytelling evenings bring you a different line up of performers each time, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer is your host Turan Ali each time and welcomes you to a rollercoaster evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna. Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers for each show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets, singer-songwriters and theatre-makers. It feels like being the priest at a confessional, hearing such personal revelations… but you don’t need to keep all these a secret!

WHAT THE AUDIENCES HAVE SAID: “Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line up for our March 22nd TRUE STORY NIGHTS is Turan Ali, Jenny Simanowitz, Nathalie Rettenbacher and Jamil Boukraa.

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written BBC drama and comedy for 20+ years and is about to direct a new BBC production of Brecht’s Mother Courage. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand-up comedian. His stage shows have toured across Europe. He is half Austrian, half Turkish, grew up in London, now based in Vienna.

Jenny Simanowitz, originally from South Africa, runs Happy Business working across Europe as a Communications Trainer/Speaker with many theatrical elements. She performs her Communications Cabaret around Austria and Germany and founded the political theatre group Omas-On-Stage. In 2022 Jenny gave the closing lecture for TEDX Vienna on the topic We need to talk about Sex and Ageing.

Nathalie Rettenbacher (originally planned for the February show) grew up as the first born "son" on a farm in the Austrian alps, which doesn't get any direct sunlight in the winter, Nathalie now lives in the 10th district of Vienna. In her stand up and storytelling she speaks about her precarious work in the call centre, about her life as a trans woman and the everyday absurdity in the streets of Vienna.
Photo credit: Stefano Aliffi https://stefanoaliffi.com/

Jamil Boukraa was born and raised in Tunisia, and only after moving to Vienna did he discover that stand-up comedy can also be performed by non-native speakers. In his monthly show called "The Bad Expats" he talks about his way of navigating life, languages, and cultures. In his podcast "The Undebatables" with Aislinn Kane, they try to show their improvisation skills by debating subjects that don't and won't ever matter.

Join us for another exciting evening which shows why live storytelling is becoming, internationally, the next big thing.

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continues in Volkstheater’s Rote Bar. Following sold out monthly shows since April 2022 these exciting storytelling evenings bring you a different line up of performers each time, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer Turan Ali is your host each time and welcomes you to a rollercoaster evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna. Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers for each show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets, singer-songwriters and theatre-makers. It feels like being the priest at a confessional, hearing such personal revelations... but you don’t need to keep all these a secret!

WHAT THE AUDIENCES HAVE SAID: “Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line up for our April 16th TRUE STORY NIGHTS is Turan Ali, Daniel Sea, Hanna-Maaria Tuomela and G’sindl.

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written drama, comedy and documentaries for the BBC in the UK for 20+ years and is about to adapt and direct a new BBC production of Brecht’s Mother Courage. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand-up comedian. His stage shows have toured across Europe. He is half Austrian, half Turkish, grew up in London, now based in Vienna.

Daniel Sea (he/they) is a trans non-binary actor, musician and artist who has worked in film, theatre and TV. They played the first recurring transmasculine role on television, appearing from 2006-2009 as Max in Showtime’s The L Word. In 2022, he revised his role as Max for the current iteration, The L Word: Generation Q. Film credits include Shortbus, and The Dead and The Living/Die Lebenden. A former queer punk, artist and activist in San Francisco, Sea’s work transverses from the queer vanguard to the mainstream, intervening on pop culture.

Hanna-Maaria Tuomela is a singer-songwriter and pianist from Helsinki, Finland, now based in Vienna. She publishes her own music under the name Maaria and has performed in Finland, Austria, Italy, Germany, Malaysia and Japan. In 2018 she came second in the competition X Factor Finland performing her own songs. She works as a performer, a solo artist, a singer in shows and a music educator.

G’sindl - This "G'sindl" (Viennese slang for riffraff) has two university degrees, migrated to Austria and now lives in Vienna. She exists in a space that doesn't appreciate her politeness and her artistic fantasy… a supermarket checkout, where she works, and turns her gaze to the fringes of society. Her stories are about marginalized people, traumatic moments and clever shopping habits.

Join us for another exciting evening which shows why live storytelling is becoming, internationally, the next big thing.

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continues in Volkstheater’s Rote Bar. Following sold out monthly shows since April 2022 these exciting storytelling evenings bring you a different line up of performers each time, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer Turan Ali is your host each time and welcomes you to a rollercoaster evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna. Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers for each show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets, singer-songwriters and theatre-makers. It feels like being the priest at a confessional, hearing such personal revelations… but you don’t need to keep all these a secret!

WHAT THE AUDIENCES HAVE SAID : “Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line up for our May 12th TRUE STORY NIGHTS is Turan Ali, Shane Callaghan, Aislinn Kane and Rhayn.

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written BBC drama and comedy for 20+ years and is about to produce and direct Brecht’s Mother Courage for a new BBC production. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand-up comedian. His stage shows have toured to London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Edinburgh. He is half Austrian, half Turkish, grew up in London and is now based in Vienna.

Shane Callaghan is from a small farm in Ireland but lives in Bratislava. He has been writing and producing theatre for about 10 years and has toured his shows internationally, including to Barcelona, London, Paris and Norway. As well as theatre, since September last year Shane has started performing stand-up comedy with great success in Bratislava, Vienna and beyond.

Aislinn Kane is an up and coming comedian based in Vienna. An American expat with a suspicious number of passports she engages audiences with quick-witted humour and absurd anecdotes from her unconventional life. She has opened for several established comedians in and around Austria, makes up one third of the Gays and Theys Comedy Club trio, and co-hosts two podcasts, the Undebatables and Eurocentrist.

Rhayn (pronounced “rain”) is an indie pop singer-songwriter based in Vienna. In her introspective lyrics she captures moments, thoughts and emotions. She is currently working on a collection of songs that circle around the theme of “home”, exploring her upbringing in the Austrian countryside.

Join us for another exciting evening which shows why live storytelling is becoming, internationally, the next big thing.

The hugely popular TRUE STORY NIGHTS from Vienna Storytelling Collective continues in Volkstheater’s Rote Bar. Following sold out monthly shows since April 2022 these exciting storytelling evenings bring you a different line up of performers each time, with surprising, moving, hilarious and sometimes shockingly true stories. BBC drama/comedy producer Turan Ali is your host each time and welcomes you to a rollercoaster evening with eight gripping, high quality true stories – some from Vienna. Our ever-changing quartet of storytellers for each show includes novelists, comedians, radio, TV and film professionals, screenplay writers, performance poets, singer-songwriters and theatre-makers. It feels like being the priest at a confessional, hearing such personal revelations… but you don’t need to keep all these a secret!

WHAT THE AUDIENCES HAVE SAID: “Exhilarating”, “A brilliant evening every time”, “Funny and very moving”, “Incredible stories!”

True stories guaranteed to astonish, amuse or amaze you with their honesty.

The line up for our June 24th TRUE STORY NIGHTS is Turan Ali, Catrice Liberty, Kathy Tanner and Ali Hasnain.

Turan Ali has produced, directed and written drama, comedy and documentaries for the BBC in the UK for 20+ years and is about to adapt and direct a new BBC production of Brecht’s Mother Courage. He’s also a stage storyteller and stand-up comedian. His stage shows have toured across Europe. He is half Austrian, half Turkish, grew up in London, now based in Vienna.

Catrice Liberty was raised in Eisenstadt, and is a freelance artist in the field of music and acting, including performing as a drag queen. She studied jazz singing and composition at the Jam Music Lab University in Vienna and since has performed widely and worked with the ORF, Kärtner Tourismus, Café Landtmann and Parieté Berlin. She also works actively as a musician, songwriter and DJ.

Kathy Tanner is originally Irish and has lived in Vienna for many years. She is a hugely experienced performer (actor, comedy performer, improviser and clown) who has been a stalwart member of the much-loved Vienna-based improvisation troupe English Lovers for many years.

Ali Hasnain is a Pakistani-Indian stand-up comedian born in Vienna who performs around Europe. Staying true to his awkward background, Ali tries to verbalise the weirdness of life, often getting people to laugh and feel sad at the same time. He is a co-headliner in the Vienna stand up comedy double feature "The Bad Expats".