As part of the STEM project “Act & Tech @ Rieden,” the city of Bregenz, together with Rieden Middle School and the Bregenz Festival, hosted a special theatrical experience: On June 25, 2026, the play “Romeo and Juliet – Time Is Out of Joint” premiered.
Once again, this year, students from the Mittelschule Rieden come together to work out their own play, design the stage set, and manage the technical support of the performance. The performance will take place in early June 2026 at the Festspielhaus.
Between Time Travel, AI, and Social Issues
The year is 2026: Time has gone haywire. Political, social, and moral uncertainties shape everyday life, while a sense of disorientation and instability dominate society. Two former students at Rieden Middle School ask themselves what a better future might look like—and whether the adult world is truly the goal they’ve been working toward.
In search of answers, they turn to their digital companions, ChatGPT and Gemini, who suggest an unusual solution: a time machine. To test whether it works, the teenagers use the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” as a guide to travel through various eras of the past century—in search of that “good old days” their parents and grandparents talk about.
But it quickly becomes clear: no era is free from conflict, injustice, or tragedy. Social patterns and personal fates repeat themselves time and again. The teenagers realize that change often doesn’t come from major upheavals, but from small decisions, new perspectives, and courageous action.
Thus, the journey through time becomes a humorous yet thought-provoking exploration of responsibility, the future, and social cohesion—all in the typical “Riedenstyle.”
In cooperation with the Mittelschule Rieden and the Landeshauptstadt Bregenz
