Franz von Strolchen

Christian Winkler is an Austrian author and playwright who works under the moniker Franz von Strolchen when directing his own plays. He has established himself as an innovative voice in contemporary German-speaking theatre, with his texts and productions staged around the world, including in New York, Berlin, Edinburgh, Mumbai, and Skopje. As an Artist-in-Residence, Winkler has developed projects in Rome and Istanbul, where his acclaimed performance BOJI originated. Inspired by a Turkish social media phenomenon turned propaganda tool, BOJI was banned from being performed in Türkiye but went on to tour Europe in multiple languages, including Icelandic, Kurdish, Albanian, and Farsi. Political manipulation and social conflict are recurring themes in Winkler’s work. His piece Empire – Rooting for the Antihero blends fact and fiction to explore the interpersonal stories of the Dutch elite in the East Indies, based on the diary of an Austrian-Indonesian eyewitness. Both BOJI and Empire have received critical acclaim and nominations for major theatre awards in Germany and Austria. During his time as in-house playwright and director at Luzerner Theater in Switzerland, his site-specific production of Biedermann und die Brandstifter (2018) became an audience favourite, performed nearly 60 times in 60 different private apartments. Winkler also teaches at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, and currently serves as Artistic Director of Theater am Lend in Graz, Austria.

Christian Winkler adalah penulis dan dramawan asal Austria yang juga berkarya sebagai sutradara dengan nama samaran Franz von Strolchen. Ia dikenal sebagai salah satu suara inovatif dalam teater berbahasa Jerman kontemporer, dengan karya-karyanya yang telah dipentaskan di berbagai belahan dunia, termasuk New York, Berlin, Edinburgh, Mumbai, dan Skopje. Sebagai seniman residensi, Winkler mengembangkan sejumlah proyek di Roma dan Istanbul, salah satunya melahirkan pertunjukan terkenalnya, BOJI. Terinspirasi dari fenomena media sosial di Turki yang berubah menjadi alat propaganda, karya ini sempat dilarang di negara tersebut namun kemudian berkeliling Eropa dalam berbagai bahasa, termasuk Islandia, Kurdi, Albania, dan Farsi. Manipulasi politik dan konflik sosial menjadi tema yang kerap muncul dalam karyanya. Pertunjukan Empire – Rooting for the Antihero memadukan fakta dan fiksi untuk menggali kisah para elite Belanda di Hindia Timur, berdasarkan catatan harian seorang saksi mata Austria-Indonesia. Baik BOJI maupun Empire mendapat pujian kritis dan masuk nominasi penghargaan teater bergengsi di Jerman dan Austria. Sebagai penulis naskah dan sutradara di Luzerner Theater, ia menciptakan produksi pertunjukan berbasis lokasi berjudul Biedermann und die Brandstifter (2018), yang menjadi favorit penonton dan dipentaskan hampir 60 kali di apartemen-apartemen pribadi. Selain itu, Winkler juga mengajar di University of Applied Arts Vienna dan University of Applied Sciences Hamburg. Saat ini, ia menjabat sebagai Direktur Artistik Theater am Lend di Graz, Austria.