Austrian Director GEORG ZLABINGER, born 1993 in Vienna, studied Comparative Literature Studies at the University of Vienna. First experiences on and off stage at Volksoper Vienna, Herbsttage Blindenmarkt, Theater Akzent Vienna and Kammeroper Vienna.
Since 2013 Zlabinger is staff director at Theater an der Wien, where he has worked on productions including Iphigénie en Aulide et Tauride (D: Torsten Fischer), Rinaldo (D: Christiane Lutz), Hans Heiling (D: Roland Geyer), Peter Grimes (D: Christof Loy), Capriccio (D: Tatjana Gürbaca), Hamlet (D: Christof Loy), Don Giovanni (D: Keith Warner), Maria Stuarda (D: Christof Loy), Euryanthe (R: Christof Loy), Halka (D: Mariusz Trelínski), Zazà (D: Christof Loy), The Fiery Angel (D: Andrea Breth) and Tosca (D: Martin Kusej). He has worked as an assistent director for Wiener Festwochen, Berlin Festival (Mondparsifal Alpha 1-8 & Beta 9-23), Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam (La forza del destino) Bregenz Festival (Carmen), Salzburg Festival (Il Trittico), Finnish National Opera, Helsinki (Tosca) and Teatro Real, Madrid (Capriccio).
In recent years Zlabinger has developed a close artistic relationship with Christof Loy. With great succes he directed the revival of La forza del destino at Royal Opera House Covent Garden with Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann in 2019. Further revivals include Peter Grimes ("Best production" International Opera Awards) at Theater an der Wien and Tosca at English National Opera. In 2021 & 2023 he realised a new production of Luisa Miller for Glyndebourne Festival and Oper Köln based on an original conception by Loy.
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2014 he founded Theater am Akademischen Gymnasium Wien together with set designer Martin Zlabinger, searching for innovative interpretations and concepts for ancient greek theatre.
He has realised productions of Die Orestie (Aischylos), Medea (Euripides, Franz Grillparzer, Heiner Müller), Namenlos (inspired by Homer`s Odyssey) and Prometheus, gefesselt (Aischylos, Peter Handke). 2018 Zlabinger staged the premiere of his own play O schweigt on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Further directorial credits for drama include Zu dir zu gehen by and starring Paul Wiborny at Brick-5, Vienna in 2018 and the experimental performance Die letzten Tage based on Karl Kraus at Ateliertheater, Vienna and Schloss Wartholz, Reichenau in 2018.
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In 2020 he was engaged to stage Il Giasone by Francesco Cavalli for Theater an der Wien/Kammeroper. Due to the Covid19-pandemic the show could not be premiered to this day. In the following season Zlabinger did productions of Davies` The Lighthouse (together with his brothers Michael Zlabinger, conductor & Martin Zlabinger, design) and Don Giovanni Last Minute based on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
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In collaboration with Marin Alsop he staged Bluebeard`s Castle by Béla Bartók for Wiener Konzerthaus and Gothenburg Konserthuset in 2022. In the same year he made directorial debuts in Germany with Mozart`s Le nozze di Figaro at Folkwang University Essen and Tschaikowsky`s Eugene Onegin at Theater Bielefeld.
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In the 2023/24 season, after reviving La forza del destino at Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Zlabinger will co-direct Lohengrin at De Nationale Opera Amsterdam with Christof Loy and stage Pendereckis The Black Mask with NOSPR Katowice as well as KáÅ¥a Kabanová at Theater Bielefeld.