Montafon theater hike
A landscape becomes a stage. History comes alive.
With the theatrical hike “Borderline Experiences on the Magic Mountain”, the teatro caprile ensemble combines powerful performances with the alpine landscape of the Montafon. An extraordinary experience that brings together nature, contemporary history and the pressing questions of our time.
Borderline experiences on the magic mountain
In summer 2026, the Montafon will once again become a stage of a very special kind. With “Crossing Borders on the Magic Mountain”, the teatro caprile ensemble continues its successful series of theatrical hikes in the high Alps, inviting you to experience history from a new perspective.
At around 1,500 metres above sea level, beneath the Madrisa, 14 stops and 16 scenes await you. Accompanied by experienced Montafon hiking guides, you will spend approximately five hours walking through the alpine landscape. Along the way, the trail repeatedly transforms into a stage, as powerful performances weave together nature, contemporary history and the present to create a rich and multilayered experience.
The production explores historical events, social tensions and the question of what it means to cross borders, whether geographical, ideological or personal. The result is a theatrical hike that moves you, inspires reflection and continues to resonate long after the final scene.
Dates
- 17./18./29. July 2026
- 21./22./23. August 2026
- 28./29./30. August 2026
When the landscape becomes a narrator
The Maisäß landscape around Gargellen is not just a backdrop - it is part of the narrative. Weather, wind, light and topography act as dramatic elements. The scenes revolve around borderline experiences between nature and civilization, memory and repression, departure and standstill. You encounter life stories of flight, resistance and longing - sometimes documented, sometimes poetically condensed.
Journeys Along the Boundaries of Flight, Identity, and Memory
“Borderline Experiences on the Magic Mountain” is based on historical sources, newspaper articles, and literary texts. The teatro caprile ensemble combines these elements with dance and drama to create a multi-layered theatrical journey that traces Gargellen’s development from a remote mountain village to a tourist destination and brings to life the town as a border space for goods, ideas, and people.
The title refers to Thomas Mann’s novel *The Magic Mountain*. For many years, Gargellen was known as “the Austrian Davos.” Excerpts from Mann’s work offer an additional perspective on issues of war, society, and humanity.
The Austrian-American composer Ernst Krenek, who stayed at the Hotel Madrisa in 1934, and the historian Lucie Varga, who conducted research in Gargellen in 1935, are also featured in the production. Their texts and observations offer different perspectives on social change, the emergence of tourism, and the political developments of the 1930s.
The result is a theatrical journey that interweaves historical events, literary voices, and the Alpine landscape, demonstrating how the major issues facing Europe are reflected on a smaller scale in Gargellen.
Crossing borders between flight, identity and memory
Whether a Belgian deserter on the run, an impostor couple in evening dress at the Sarotla Pass or Jewish intellectuals in dialog with National Socialist border fantasies: this theatrical journey illuminates historical border experiences in all their dimensions - geographical, social, political, human.
The actors
Andreas Kosek
Born in Vienna in 1959, holds degrees in theater studies and German language and literature; actor and director, co-founder of “teatro caprile” (1993)
Some other engagements:
- Theater Jetzt, Pécs “Loriot”;
- “Tinte & Kaffee” ensemble, Vienna;
- Budapest ensemble “Der zerbrochene Krug”;
- Gemeindebautheater Vienna, “Frühere Verhältnisse”;
- Austrian Länderbühne, “Spring Awakening”;
- Silesian Theater, Katowice, “Badenheim”;
- Ludowy Theater, Krakow/Künstlerhaus Vienna, “Antigone in New York”;
- Theaterbrett “The Good God of Manhattan”;
- FILM: “Julius Madritsch – Righteous Among the Nations” (Screenplay/Director: Piotr Szalsza);
- “Charlemagne” (Role: Pope Zacharias);
- “Tom Turbo”; “The Mountain, the Lake, THE COW” (Screenplay/Director: Robert Polak), among others.
Learn more about Andreas Kosek.
Katharina Grabher
Hello, I’m Katharina Grabher, born in 1959 in Feldkirch, moved to Vienna, and returned to Vorarlberg as an actress with lots of crazy ideas.
Film and theater engagements have me commuting between Vienna and my favorite spots in Montafon and Walgau. Together with dedicated colleagues from Vorarlberg and Vienna, the group teatro caprile (Goat Shed) was founded more than a quarter-century ago and has since been known for gripping and extraordinary theater productions in Vorarlberg, Vienna, and the rest of the world.“And when I grow up, I’m going to roam the mountains with a herd of goats”—that was the motto of my childhood, which has been brought to life in a transformed way for the past nine years in the Montafon Theater Hike.
Learn more about me at: katharina-grabher.at
Roland Etlinger
Hello,
My parents liked the name "Roland"; I was born on June 6, 1959, in Feldkirch, and the "joy of theater" was a defining influence from early childhood. Life had other plans, so I became a carpenter, earning my master’s certification, and subsequently turned to architecture as my profession.
The interplay of emotions, soul, and spirit has never let me go. Here, my zodiac sign—Gemini—really came through. I had the privilege of working with many personalities at the Landestheater Vorarlberg (Holzfällen, Zeit der Wirren), Teatro Caprile (Auf der Flucht, Riccabona, Wacker), shakespear das theater (Der Besucher), H.J. Ellensohn (Roth sieht Rot), anart (Der wunderbare Massenselbstmord, Gaststubentheater), and various small stages.
As an author, dramaturg, and director, my experience with the youth theater “Blickwinkel” was an unforgettable and wonderful time.
And because I enjoy listening to myself, various readings fulfill my desire for close contact with an interested audience.
Ildikó Eszter Frank
I live in Pécs, southern Hungary, and this is my first outdoor theater project in the mountains. Since graduating from the University of Timișoara, I have performed primarily in German—first at the Deutsche Bühne Ungarn, which I also directed for 14 years, and now for the past six years as a freelance theater artist. I’ve been in contact with teatro caprile since 2010, when they accepted my invitation to perform at a festival in Szekszárd, Hungary. We’ve been working more closely together since 2018.
Ruth Grabher
Ruth Grabher is a dancer and a member of the Podium für Improvisationskunst as well as netzwerktanz. As a dancer, she has appeared in works such as “Jagdzeit” by Gundi Ellert (dir. Andreas Marent, ÖEA), “Lantana” at the Landestheater Bregenz by Andrew Bovell (dir. Steffen Jäger), and “Jägerstätter” in Rankweil (dir. Brigitta Soraperra).
- She runs an organic farm in Feldkirch.
- As a dancer and actress, she has already appeared in numerous productions by teatro caprile, such as “Ski Labor Lech,” “Montevideo,” and “Der Fall Riccabona.”
Mark Német
Born in Vienna in 1961, he holds a degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology (KSA). Having frequently appeared in small roles as an actor, he enjoys his summer breaks as a member of the Theaterwanderung ensemble and participates in the Rucksacklesung. Mark is the walking encyclopedia of the theater group, well-versed in all historical matters, and the guiding spirit of Teatro Caprile.
The theater guide
Margit Ganahl
The mountain village where I live and love
Hello there. My name is Margit. I’ve lived in the beautiful mountain village of Gargellen for 35 years and have been working at the Gargellen Tourist Information Office for nearly 20 years. Year after year, I have the pleasure of guiding the “Montafon Theater Hike” and have become a fixture here. You really should join us on one of these hikes at least once. Not only I, but also the guests are impressed by it time and time again.
Review: "On the Run"
The previous theatrical walking tour, “Auf der Flucht,” captivated audiences for a decade with nearly 100 sold-out performances and was awarded the Vorarlberg Tourism Innovation Prize in 2016.
Awards & Press Coverage
A small selection of the numerous press reports on the Montafon theater hike "Auf der Flucht"
- Die Neue (2017)
- Vorarlberger Nachrichten (2018)
- Kirchen Blatt (2018)
- Kirchenzeitung Speyer (2019)
- Rheinische Post (2019)