The Steyr Music Festival will feature the rock musical "Hair" as the centerpiece of its program in the summer of 2026. A total of eleven performances are planned in the moat of Lamberg Castle from July 23 to August 8.
The premiere takes place on July 23. Susanne Sommer directs, with musical direction by Andreas Brencic. The international ensemble includes Christian Funk, James Park, Anthony Curtis Kirby, Christoph Stocker, Jill Clesse, Sarah Kornfeld, Meimouna Coffi, Sophie-Theres Völkl, and Benedikt Berner. In case of inclement weather, performances will be held at the Steyr City Theatre.
"Hair" premiered in New York in 1967 and is considered one of the most influential rock musicals in theater history. The work by Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and Galt MacDermot explores themes such as friendship, identity, social conflict, and protests against the Vietnam War. With songs like "Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In," the musical has become a staple of the international musical theater repertoire. The production in Steyr continues this tradition, bringing the work to the stage once again as an open-air performance. "Hair" was previously featured at the Steyr Music Festival in the late 1990s.
The Steyr Music Festival has been running since 1995 and is one of Upper Austria's established summer festivals for musical theatre. After initial productions in the Old Theatre, the festival's own productions have been primarily performed in the moat of Lamberg Castle since 2004. Artistic Director Karl-Michael Ebner has led the festival since its inception. In recent years, the program has included musicals such as "Chicago," "Cabaret," and "The Rocky Horror Show." For the 2026 season, the festival will once again present an original production with an internationally acclaimed ensemble.
With this new production, the festival revives a work that continues to be performed regularly on German-language and international stages decades after its premiere. The combination of a historic venue and a well-known musical has been part of the festival's concept for many years. Tickets are available for all eleven performances, and additional dates have already been added to the schedule.