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Physicists perform: “The Physicists”

With humor and references to everyday student life, the theater group at TU Wien brings Dürrenmatt's play “The Physicists” to the stage—or more precisely, to the Informatikhörsaal!

Two men are standing in front of a blackboard covered in physics formulas. The man on the left is holding an apple in his hand. Both are discussing a formula. In front of them is a sofa with a man sitting on it, looking thoughtful.

© Theater group at TU Wien

Reviving what has already been there – more relevant than ever

The play and the origins of the group from the Technical Physics Student Council may seem familiar to some, because until a few years ago, the “Physikertheater” regularly performed on stage in the Informatikhörsaal at TU Wien. After a break due to the coronavirus pandemic, the theater group was revived a year ago to give students from different fields of study the opportunity to take a break from everyday life for a few hours and meet weekly to perform together. What started as improvisational theater and corresponding group exercises quickly developed into a drive to create a larger project and share the progress with an audience. Where in other places the choice of play is an obstacle, here agreement was reached in no time. What moves us as students, as scientists, as a young, diverse group in society? The pursuit of a voice that is denied us or not granted to us in the first place, and of equality, whether as a female-read person in a male-dominated environment or as a financially dependent tiny part of a research group sponsored by institutions whose values we do not actually want to represent. And what play addresses these themes in a more accessible and compelling way than a tragicomedy that gives science a place in society?

Space and time

The “Freihaus” sanatorium is lovingly portrayed on stage with artificial lighting, mismatched, aging furniture, and crazy physicists wandering around. The patients have not been admitted; no, as long-term students, they are here voluntarily, of course, right?

Direction, lighting and sound technology, costumes, planning and casting, all united in a group of motivated students, each of whom contributes according to their personal strengths. Both the end result in the form of the performances and the journey to get there are marked by these individual gifts, which are shared again and again within the group. So if you want to see the madness of the Freihaus from an audience’s perspective, come to one of the performances and enjoy drinks and food while you're entertained!

Dates

  • November 14, 2025 - 6:00 p.m.
  • November 15, 2025 - 6:00 p.m.
  • November 22, 2025 - 6:00 p.m.

Informatikhörsaal, Treitlstraße 3, 1040 Vienna

Admission from 5:00 p.m.
Free admission, donations welcome