Stage direction

Herbert Föttinger

Herbert Föttinger was born in Vienna, where he attended private acting classes. After initial engagements in Hof, Detmold, Hildesheim, Graz and at the Volkstheater in Vienna, he joined the ensemble of the Theater in der Josefstadt in 1993, where he made his debut as Alfred in »Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald«. From 2006 to 2026, Herbert Föttinger was director of the Theater in der Josefstadt. During this period, the main building and the Kammerspiele were renovated, and a new rehearsal stage was established. Artistically, with 53 world premieres and 28 Austrian, German-language or European premieres, Föttinger established the theatre as a progressive institution of the 21st century, whilst at the same time respectfully maintaining the classical repertoire in the Josefstadt tradition of great actor-centred theatre.

Föttinger himself appeared in numerous leading roles on stage, such as Jaromir in Hofmannsthal's »Der Unbestechliche«, Serge in »Kunst«, the Colonel in »Jacobowsky und der Oberst«, Flottwell in Raimund's »Der Verschwender«, Sigismund in Calderón's »Das Leben ein Traum«, Don Juan in Frisch's »Don Juan oder die Liebe zur Geometrie«, Jean in »Fräulein Julie«, the title role in Molnár's »Liliom«, Rappelkopf in »Der Alpenkönig und der Menschenfeind«, Mack the Knife in »Die Dreigroschenoper«, the title role in »Amphitryon«, Torvald Helmer in »Nora«, Vicomte de Valmont in »Gefährliche Liebschaften« and all the male roles in Schnitzler's »Reigen«, Sigmund Freud in »Eine dunkle Begierde«, Benjamin Rubin in »Der Mentor«, the title role in »Professor Bernhardi«, Georges in »La Cage aux Folles«, Gennadij Nestschastliwzew in »Der Wald« and recently Al Lewis in »Sonny Boys« and Bruscon in »Theatermacher«. As Lorenzo Da Ponte in Peter Turriniʼs »Was für ein schönes Ende« Föttinger bid farewell to the Josefstadt audience in the summer of 2026.

Between 2008 and 2017, Föttinger played Professor Higgins in »My Fair Lady« at the Vienna Volksoper in just under a hundred performances; in autumn 2022, he made his debut at the Vienna State Opera as Haushofmeister in Richard Strauss’s »Ariadne auf Naxos«. In 2012, Herbert Föttinger was awarded the Austrian honorary title of »Österreichischer Kammerschauspieler«.

 Herbert Föttinger has also worked as a director since the 2004/2005 season. At the Theater in der Josefstadt, where he has been Artistic Director since 2006, he has so far staged such works as Nestroy's »Kampl« with Helmuth Lohner and Otto Schenk, »Das vierte Gebot«, the first performances of Peter Turrini's »Mein Nestroy«, »Endlich Schluss« and »Aus Liebe« plus »Der Diener zweier Herren«, »Nächstes Jahr – gleiche Zeit«, »Die Buddenbrooks«, »Halpern & Johnson«, »Der blaue Engel«, »Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald«. World performances were Daniel Kehlmann's »Der Mentor« and »Heilig Abend«, Milan Dorʼs »Die Schüsse von Sarajevo«, Ödön von Horváth's »Niemand«, Christopher Hamptonʼs »All about Eve« and Thomas Arztʼs »Leben und Sterben in Wien«.

 He made his debut as an opera director with »Fidelio« at the Theater an der Wien in 2013, and also directed »La mère coupable« at the same theatre in 2015. At the Gärtnerplatztheater, he directed Mozart’s »Don Giovanni«, Verdi’s »Rigoletto«, Massenetʼs »Werther« and Bizetʼs »Carmen«.