Kafana Beisl Culture Clash

Place of action: a kafana in Austria; time of action: the 1970s. When a letter from the authorities announces the demolition of Bane’s pub, the landlord’s family and guests are upside down. The saving idea comes from lawyer Martha: the Kafana could become a cultural association. The initial skepticism gives way to a thirst for action – until a crucial question arises: what kind of “culture” should be cultivated here?

Based on his own origins, Sandy Lopičić explores the themes of arriving and wanting to leave. The comedy, written especially for the Schauspielhaus Graz ensemble, turns traditions and stereotypes on their head with relish: suddenly the rock’n’roll that has dominated Kafana up to now is competing with folk music from the Balkans. Constantly changing perspectives and tracing his own (musical) roots, Lopičić, together with his five-piece band and seven actors, performs a musical spectrum ranging from 1970s rock to Balkan songs.