Vienna’s second municipal district, Leopoldstadt, can offer a theatre of a special kind. Because in the Art Nouveau building erected by Oskar Marmorek at Nestroyplatz is the Theater Hamakom, as the successor to the “Jewish Artists’ Plays” (Jüdische Künstlerspiele). Here, from 1927 to 1938, alongside Austrian troupes, famous Yiddish ensembles from Galicia, Budapest, Vilnius and Moscow also performed. But the Second World War brought a provisional end to the theatre.
It was only from 2004 that cultural activities began again in the Nestroyhof.
After extensive renovation work, the theatre in the Nestroyhof went into operation under the name “Hamakom” (Hebrew for “the place”).
Today it is regarded as one of the most important mid-sized stages in Vienna and sees itself as an interface for Jewish culture and modern, innovative theatre work. In this sense, the concept of the Hamakom is unique both in Vienna and at an international level.
As a historical monument and projection surface, the Hamakom deals with historical and current topics from a socio-political perspective.
