Premiere of Brandy Butler's ‘MITOSIS - an LSD Opera’ in April

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

On Thursday, 3 April, ‘MITOSIS - an LSD Opera’ by director Brandy Butler will celebrate its premiere at the Gessnerallee. The story told in this play could be the story of a person from your neighbourhood whom you only know in passing, or perhaps that of a good friend. It is about everyday life and a visit to the doctor that changes everything in one fell swoop: A cancer diagnosis. But it is also the story of a banned substance that is currently making a spectacular comeback: the hallucinogen LSD. It is said to be able to take away the fear of dying.

A transdisciplinary team led by Brandy Butler took these stories and turned them into an opera. The result is a powerful-voiced and dedicated piece of musical theatre that tells the sometimes humorous, sometimes extremely sad story of the life of a terminally ill woman who believes she has lost everything until her therapist suggests a completely new treatment practice.

Important note: The premiere is already sold out. It's best to buy your ticket now for one of the other performances on 5, 8 and 10 April.

In an interview for the third edition of our newspaper journalist Aleksandra Hiltmann spoke to Brandy Butler about death, fear and LSD. The artist describes the play as an offer to society: ‘We should become braver in talking to each other about death,’ says Brandy Butler and continues: ‘I want to encourage an exchange and touch people with the play. I hope that the audience will identify with the protagonist and reflect on their own death. The play is not ‘wow, sick! There is a lot of room for vulnerability.’

You can read the full interview online on our website or in the third issue of our printed newspaper. You can order it at: zeitung@gessnerallee.ch.

Now for the weekly overview of the programme, newspaper articles, news and everything we want to share with you:

Programme recommendations of the week

19 March, 9 pm, South Stage

‘March Mix’: The artists and music curators Year-To-Date at Südbühne for the whole of March

In March, our music curators are organising Year-To-Date concerts, workshops, listening sessions, film screenings, a kiosk, exhibitions, rituals and more at the Südbühne. There will also be a programme on 19 March with the artist RDH. More information

19 and 20 March, 7 pm

‘PERSPECTIVES’ by Anna Chiedza Spörri

In this performance, hip-hop and contemporary dance, spoken word and beats become powerful tools for dealing with discrimination. The performance on 19 March is already sold out. If you want to see the piece, make sure you buy a ticket for 20 March now. To the tickets

28 March, 9 pm

‘Murnau's Head’ with León Zehnder, Stephen Thomas, Altin Asllani, The weathereye

Murnau's Head will be performing a concert at Stall6. The band oscillates between concrete compositions and improvised passages. This creates layers of sound that generate a musical state and move away from classic song structures. In addition to concert appearances, the group has also set the silent film ‘Man of Aran’ to music live in the Xenix cinema. More information

Newspaper

We are delighted to announce that the third edition of our newspaper is now available. You can buy it from us at the box office or order it by writing an email to: zeitung@gessnerallee.ch.

We’ve already published several articles from the new edition online on our website:

«Wir gehen auf den Spuren von Menschen, die schon da waren»

Brandy Butler in an interview with journalist Aleksandra Hiltmann on the subject of death, fear and LSD. To the article (only in German)

Die Normen über den Haufen werfen

A portrait of Anna Chiedza Spörri and her choreographic and activist work. To the article (only in German)

Furthermore

New events online soon

At the end of this week, we will be posting new events for May and June on our website. We are already looking forward to the programme. Don't miss it!

By the way, Kultur Züri also reported on Anna Chiedza Spörri's play ‘PERSPECTIVES’. Click here for the article (only in German).

We look forward to your visit.

The Gessnerallee team

PS: Do you enjoy good cultural stories? Or do you know someone who doesn't like going to the theatre so much, but loves reading? Then we recommend a subscription to our printed newspaper, which is published four times a season. It costs CHF 20 (excl. postage) and you can order it directly at zeitung@gessnerallee.ch.