A major opera house in Vienna, the Vienna Volksoper is one of the best places to enjoy music for the whole family. Here, you can experience top class opera, ballet, musical and operetta in what is widely-considered one of the most family-friendly music theatre places in Vienna.
During an annual season, which runs from September through June, the Vienna Volksoper puts on around 300 performances of 25 different productions, including childrens’ productions such as Pinocchio or Hänsel und Gretel. Generally, the productions are in German.
A highlight for children are the special children’s quiz performances at the Vienna Volksoper. These are regular performances made more fun for the young audiences by giving each child in the audience a quiz flyer. Essentially, it´s a specially-designed synopsis and colourful question sheet about what is happening on stage. During the interval, all children who turn in their question sheet at the box office in the foyer will receive a sweet surprise and can take part in a prize drawing. The question sheets are available in German only.
The attention to the youngest publicum can also be seen in the little details. Think of specially-made cushions for children – so even the smallest ones are well-seated. The cushions can be borrowed free of charge at the public service point by the cloakrooms.
And (perhaps) the best part is the ticket price reductions. Children and youth under 15 years receive a 75% reduction for all performances at the Volksoper (with a maximum of 3 children and each must be accompanied by an adult).
Young audiences do not need to enjoy musical theatre from only the auditorium seat; they can also experience it first-hand in one of the many workshops. Here, children and young people experience music theatre themselves, through play, singing and handicraft. Workshops are generally held in German and led by Vienna Volksoper’s own artists and staff members.
For school groups, tickets for opera, ballet, musical and operetta performances are offered with special reductions. Performances are suitable for children from the 1st grade of primary school and older, depending on the production. School pupils and students can also attend rehearsals, take part in backstage tours and even take part in school projects on selected productions.
Finally, the Vienna Volksoper also offers professional training for children in choral singing, voice training and solo singing. Once each week, 80 children participate in professional training lessons and take part in the children’s choir and the youth choir of Volksoper Wien. You can hear them in some productions, including Pinocchio, Hänsel und Gretel, The Sound of Music, Carousel, Marilyn Forever, Der Zauberer von Oz, or the Christmas concert.
There´s no specific dress code for the performances at the Volksoper. Come in a beautiful dress or wearing a t-shirt and a pair of comfy jeans, whichever makes you feel better and properly enjoy the performance.
Most performances at the Vienna Volksoper are sung in German. The operettas generally have English subtitles, except for premieres. Program brochures are available primarily in German but provide content information in several languages such as English, French, Italian and Japanese.