Hans Mrak

Hans Mrak is an Austrian dramaturge and academic currently serving as Director of Drama at Klagenfurt City Theatre since 2019/2020 while teaching dramaturgy at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna since 2013. His career spans Vienna's premier institutions including Burgtheater and Volkstheater Wien, with specialization in contemporary international drama and Eastern European theater.

Born in 1971 in Tamsweg, Salzburg, Mrak holds advanced degrees from University of Vienna and UCLA (1990-2000) where he completed faculty studies in film and humanities (1994-1996). His scholarly work examined early American film musicals and comparative aesthetics of Nazi revue and 1930s US musicals under Professors Monika Meister and Thomas Elsaesser.

His research focuses on dramaturgical structures in contemporary theater, with particular emphasis on Eastern European and Israeli performance traditions. Mrak pioneered cross-border collaborations through curated festivals "The Best from the East!" and "Go West?" connecting artists from Ukraine, Israel, Romania, Serbia and Hungary, while developing innovative approaches to theatrical space and audience engagement.

Throughout his career, Mrak has collaborated with internationally renowned directors including Luc Bondy, Dimiter Gotscheff, Andrea Breth, and Árpád Schilling across over 50 productions. His institutional leadership spans Burgtheater Vienna (under Klaus Bachler and Karin Bergmann), Volkstheater Wien (under Michael Schottenberg), and Klagenfurt City Theatre, while maintaining freelance engagements with Vienna Konzerthaus and Salzkammergut Festival.