The time has come for this year’s Huggy Bears Days!
This November, four projects will celebrate their premieres after nine months of artistic development within the Huggy Bears Supporting Program.
François-Eloi Lavignac, Laureen Drexler & Giorgia Scisciola, Maria Mam & Flora Renhardt, and Miriam Budzáková & Simone Lorenzo Benini have each created distinct performances that will light up the stages of WUK performing arts and studio brut.
Performance Schedule
6 & 7 November — WUK performing arts
19:00 — sk8r grrrl by and with Maria Mam & Flora Renhardt
20:30 — Sandpit by and with Miriam Budzáková & Simone Lorenzo Benini
Information and Tickets: WUK website.
12–14 November — studio brut
19:00 — Fifth position by and with François-Eloi Lavignac
20:30 — PIERRE by and with Laureen Drexler & Giorgia Scisciola
Tickets and Information: brut website.
About the Huggy Bears Supporting Program
Since its founding in 2016, Huggy Bears has been a pillar of innovative performance art in Vienna, supporting emerging artists as they explore new forms and ideas. Each year, the programme provides three to four individuals or collectives with comprehensive guidance — from production and administration to dramaturgy and technical support. Through a combination of feedback sessions, shared presentations, and mentoring, these artists develop their initial ideas into unique, fully realized performances.
At the end of this nine-month journey, the artists present their works for the first time on a major stage — a celebration of experimentation, collaboration, and growth.
In 2025, the Huggy Bears Days will take place as a cooperation between brut Wien and WUK performing arts. This year, the participating artists have also received support from a project fund by the Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport (BMWKMS). The programme is operated by Bears in the Park, led by Philippe Riéra and Charlotte Bastam, and supported by the City of Vienna’s Department of Cultural Affairs (MA7). Dedicated to nurturing the Vienna performance scene, Bears in the Park offers mentoring, rehearsal spaces, and regular opportunities for exchange. Each autumn, the initiative publishes an open call for the next round of Huggy Bears artists.
If you are interested in becoming a Huggy Bear yourself, check out our current Open Call (deadline November 3 2025).