10/14/2025 - 7:30 PM Uhr

Aufstieg und Fall des Herrn René Benko (theatre in german language)

A guest performance by Schauspiel Köln

‘I'm not afraid of bankruptcy,’ René Benko boasted in a 2011 interview with Krone. Things turned out differently. The insolvency of his Signa Group is the biggest bankruptcy in the history of the Second Republic of Austria. German and Italian cities are also facing years of construction craters. Millions in state investments have vanished into thin air. The self-made billionaire leaves behind a shambles.
Following plays such as ‘Die Redaktion’ (The Editorial Office) and ‘Heldenplätze’ (Heroes' Squares), author and director Calle Fuhr, together with the investigative editorial team DOSSIER, once again looks behind the headlines to tell the story of the rise and fall of the miracle man Benko. Calle Fuhr himself takes to the stage in this solo performance, taking the audience on a journey into the astonishing Signa wonderland and revealing the system that made René Benko possible in the first place. "It remains exciting throughout the entire performance. One eye-opening moment follows another.‘ (ORF, ZIB 13) The acclaimed premiere at the Vienna Volkstheater, which was also invited to the ’Radikal jung" festival, will continue in an updated version at the Schauspiel Köln, where Kai Voges will be artistic director and Calle Fuhr will be resident writer and director from the 2025/26 season onwards.

Start: 7:30 p.m.
Introduction: 7:00p.m.
Duration: approx. 1 hour 35 minutes (without intermission)

Photo © Marcel Urlaub

Information & booking:

Organization: Südtiroler Kulturinstitut

Information and tickets:
Südtiroler Kulturinstitut
Tel. 0471 313800

Individual tickets can be purchased online or at the Südtiroler Kulturinstitut office, Schlernstraße 1 in Bolzano, from 17 September 2025, or reserved by telephone on 0471 313800 or by email at info@kulturinstitut.org

Payment for individual tickets:
Reserved tickets must be paid for within 10 days of reservation, otherwise the reservation will be automatically deleted from the ticket system. Payment can be made directly at the office of the South Tyrolean Cultural Institute or by bank transfer (bank details: see below). Please state the name and reservation number you received when making the reservation as the reason for payment. The paid tickets will then be sent to you by email. You can present these at the entrance as a paper printout or digitally on your smartphone. If you do not have an email address, the tickets will be deposited at the box office. Refunds or replacements for purchased tickets are not possible.

Bank details:
Raiffeisenkasse Bozen
SWIFT-BIC: RZSBIT21003
IBAN: IT 14 A 08081 11600 000300032026

Südtiroler Sparkasse
SWIFT-BIC: CRBZIT2B059
IBAN: IT 59 K 06045 11613 000000167000

Südtiroler Volksbank
SWIFT-BIC: BPAAIT2B051
IBAN: IT 83 J 05856 11602 051571271246

Box office:
The box office opens at 6.30 p.m. on the day of the event.
The cloakroom service at the respective performances can be used free of charge.

Admission for latecomers:
Admission to events is not permitted after they have started. Latecomers will only be admitted during the interval.

Transferability of tickets:
Season tickets and individual tickets are transferable. If you are unable to attend, you can pass on your tickets to someone else. If your tickets are not used by anyone else, you are not entitled to a refund.

Restricted views:
Due to the stage design, certain seats may have restricted views during some performances. All subscribers affected will be informed by us in good time and will be offered alternative seats. We ask for your understanding in the event of a change of seating.

Programme changes:
For technical or health reasons, dates may unfortunately have to be postponed, programmes changed or casts replaced. We will endeavour to inform all visitors in good time. Last-minute changes will always be posted on our website. Thank you for your understanding.

Cancellations:
If events have to be cancelled, subscribers and purchasers of individual tickets will be refunded the cost of their tickets.

Wheelchair users:
We kindly ask wheelchair users who wish to attend an event to register in advance by calling 0471 313800.

Standing room:
Standing room tickets are only available for sold-out events, provided that fire safety regulations at the respective venues allow it. They are only available at the box office.

Discounts:
Senior citizens aged 65 and over receive special prices. Discounts are available for students up to the age of 26 and for holders of the South Tyrol Youth Ring volunteer card.

Dolomites Advantage Card:
For selected events, there is a €5 discount for holders of the Dolomites Advantage Card. These discounted tickets cannot be purchased online.

More information: www.kulturinstitut.org

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