Magical worlds of sound, light and gestures

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

After two impressive and moving performances of the spoken word performance ‘COLD’ and the first school classes in the theatre, we look forward to welcoming an even smaller, even younger audience this week. In ‘Ich bin Pinguin’ by the group Leute wie die (22 to 25 February), a play for ages 4 and up, the deaf actress Pia Katharina Jendreizik and the hearing puppeteer Andreas Pfaffenberger tell a story about differences in friendship and family without a spoken word.

In the two weeks that follow, things will become highly musical. The first is the cooperation with the platform for experimental music Sonic Matter, which will feature two highlights at the Gessnerallee in addition to a varied programme at several venues.

The concert performance ‘(f)LUX’ by Eklekto (30 January) uses the magic of light to play with our perception. For more than 50 years, the Geneva-based collective has been turning everything it can get its hands on - including neon tubes, light bulbs and matches - into percussion instruments with flair and ingenuity.

We are also especially looking forward to the musical theatre ‘Die Insel’ by [in]operabilities (1 February), a work in written and spoken German, as well as German sign language and sung audio description in German. ‘The Island’ is inspired by “Rinaldo and Alcina”, an opera by the blind composer Maria Theresia Paradis. As an ensemble of artists with different ways of perception, [in]operabilities has created a new composition of the opera that plays on different sensory levels. The audience enters this island and becomes part of a magical world full of vibrations and sound, voices and gestures.

At the beginning of February, the excitement continues with ‘A Certain Darkness Is Needed to See the Stars’ by Ramón Oliveras and Kim de l'Horizon (7 and 8 February). The evening is both a solo percussion concert and a ritual performance, combining elements of drum rituals, contemporary minimalism and techno rave to create a unique experience of sound and movement.

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

Programme recommendations for this and the coming two weeks

22 to 25 January

‘Ich bin Pinguin’ by Leute wie die

A story about differences in friendship and family for people aged 4 and over. Told without a spoken word. The performances are sold out. Remaining tickets available at the box office on 25 January. More information

30 January and 1 February

Sonic Matter with the Ensemble Eklekto and ‘Die Insel’ by [in]operabilities

As part of our cooperation with the Sonic Matter festival, we will be showing the concert performance (f)LUX by Ensemble Eklekto on 30 January and a double bill of the music theatre production ‘Die Insel’ by [in]operabilities on 1 February. Experimental music at its best!

7 and 8 February

‘A Certain Darkness Is Needed to See the Stars’ by Ramón Oliveras & Kim de l'Horizon

A solo percussion concert and a ritual performance as an invitation to reconcile oneself with one's own transience and celebrate the beauty of life. Get your ticket now!

Newspaper

Step by step into the year 2028

Gessnerallee has had a new management team for just under six months. In August, Kathrin Veser and Miriam Walther published their vision and goals for the theatre for the coming years. Read the article

Aesthetics of Access - exploring artistic accessibility

Aesthetics of Access is a curatorial and dramaturgical focus for the next four years at Gessnerallee. In this article from 11 September, dramaturge Noa Winter explains what this is and why we are doing it. To the article

Furthermore

As we think our colleagues are great and value their work enormously, we are also happy to promote their programme:

On 5, 6 and 7 February, it's worth visiting the Tanzhaus SHOW-OFF platform for young talent. The platform offers three weeks of shared rehearsal time, exchange and a professional environment in which to develop a short piece of around 20 minutes. This year's artists deal with needs in a variety of ways - in search of self-determination, vulnerability as a creative force or a queer perspective on mainstream pornography. With: DAS FLAMMENDE FAGOTT, Ladina Amber Nimuë Whitehead, Nyala Liu Simpson & Noah Weber.

And if you're in the mood for an international festival, we recommend checking out Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, which takes place at the Fabriktheater from 24 January to 8 February.

We're going, maybe we'll see each other there.

In addition, artFAQ, the production platform for dance, theatre and performance in the area of Zurich, is offering two residencies for producers and production managers with a connection to the region for the first time. These are intended to provide a space for reflection on their working methods and structure and will take place from 28 to 30 April 2025 and from 7 to 9 July 2025.

So there is once again a lot to experience at the Gessnerallee - and in Zurich.

We look forward to seeing you again.

The Gessnerallee team

PS: Do you enjoy good cultural stories? Or do you know someone who doesn't like going to the theatre that much, but enjoys 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.