curator: theater/dance/performance

steirischer herbst festival is looking for a curator in the field of theater, dance, and performance at the earliest opportunity to shape the festival’s program from 2026 onward.

steirischer herbst is an interdisciplinary festival for contemporary art taking place annually since 1968. Initially dedicated to the postwar avant-garde, it has been reinventing itself with each director. Under Ekaterina Degot (since 2018), the festival has been focusing on new productions in various media, including theater, dance, and performance, shown often as site-specific works in unusual locations and in public space. The festival explores the Central and Eastern European context and the shifting border between West and non-West in captivating stories that resonate both locally and internationally. It speaks to audiences beyond the art world bubble and has strong connections to local initiatives. The current iteration of steirischer herbst challenges both the biennial format and that of the performing arts festival. Its central ambition is to create forms, contexts, and languages that fit the decentralized world of the 21st century while examining the festival’s avant-garde legacy with a critical eye.

Responsibilities include:

• researching and monitoring the international, national, and local theater, dance, and performance scene, including projects in public space
• proposing artists, projects, and ideas for the program, initiating meetings with artists and studio visits
• performatively developing, together with the chief curator, major moments of the festival, for instance, opening and closing events
• developing and managing confirmed new projects with artists, conceptually as well as organizationally (in close connection with the production department), from budgeting and location scouting to casting and dramaturgical support
• writing about art projects
• moderating discussions with theater directors and performance artists in the program
• monitoring and regularly reporting on festivals and other major international events
• developing and maintaining connections to institutions in Graz as well as to the Styrian and Austrian theater, dance, and performance scenes
• researching Graz and Styria for possible venues for performances and participatory projects, as well as historical and social backgrounds
• responding to artists’ proposals
• liaising with the education team, participating in the educational program and audience development
• liaising with the communication team and on documentation matters