ABSTRACT
Austrian theatre has always had strong connections with the dramatic and theatrical traditions of its German-speaking neighbours, Germany and Switzerland. At the same time Austrian writers, actors and directors have often made their mark in these countries. There is a continual exchange of artists, which occasionally leads to controversy over what is regarded as German infiltration of such cultural institutions as the Burgtheater. Another less obvious influence is the fact that Austria shares borders wirh countries that used to be behind the so-called Iron Curtain. Plays by Vaclav Havel or Pahvel Kouhout, often banned in the authors' country, had their world premieres in Vienna.
