New newspaper & programme until the end of the season

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

When the lights go down in the theatre, a promise hangs in the air. In the latest issue of the Gessnerallee newspaper, in the ‘Thoughts on Theatre’ section, the outgoing artistic director and managing director of Tanzhaus Zürich, Catja Loepfe, writes about precisely this moment: that something can begin which would not be possible outside this space. We wish the entire Tanzhaus team and all their collaborators a wonderful 30th-anniversary festival ‘MovingTowardsZero’!

Journalist and photographer Julien Felber takes us on a historical journey through the Gessnerallee’s history spanning over 150 years – from cavalry and barracks to youth movements and independent theatre. He is accompanied by Alice Bamberger, a shopkeeper and contemporary witness, whose personal memories interweave the history of the building with that of the city.

Writer Julia Weber and director Rebekka Bangerter engage in a slow conversation (only in German) about language and the play ‘Mutterzungen’, which premieres this week – a reflection on what words organise, what they lose, and what becomes perceptible between them.

In her Artist Note (only in German), Fatima Moumouni asks what happens when uncertainty is not hidden but allowed to surface. In her series ‘Die Neue Unsicherheit’ (The New Uncertainty), hesitation and searching become a method, offering space for vulnerability and collective thinking. The final episode before the summer break takes place on 19 June. Secure your tickets now!

Also: The ‘Klammer’ section, in which we explore specific themes and collaborate with editorial teams and other projects in the form of secondary publications, this time features a conversation between sound artist Salomé Voegelin and Dimitri de Perrot about his project ‘OPEN STUDIO’, which took place at the Gessnerallee from November 2025 to March 2026.

Also featuring the regular features: a photo essay with collages from Hannah Gottschalk’s 37-year-old poster archive, a comic by Rada Leu on the performance ‘MASTEKTOMIE’ by CHICKS*, a fashion column with Nina Mühlemann, and Rhea Seleger’s theatre horoscope.

By the way: this issue includes a poster as a gift for our readers – a selected motif from the photo essay.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to our readers and subscribers for their loyalty and interest throughout this season. Four issues will be published again in the coming 2026/27 season. Please send orders for the current, 8th issue and subscription renewals to: zeitung@gessnerallee.ch.

We hope you enjoy reading – and now for an overview of the programme until the summer break:

Programme of the week

‘Belonging, Loss and the Language of Art’ by artasfoundation

10 June, 5.30 pm

Artistic creation in crisis zones is confronted with challenging questions. In this series of talks, various practitioners come together to reflect on their experiences. This time with Vida Rucli (architect, cultural practitioner, Robida Collective) and Fazil On Yu (dancer, choreographer, activist and performance artist). Free admission. More information

‘Mother Tongues’ by Rebekka Bangerter in collaboration with Asa Hendry, Solange P. Molu, Felicia Touvenot

11 to 16 June

What is lost when a language disappears? An intimate, poetic encounter between three speakers of endangered languages in the dark. The premiere is already sold out. Secure your tickets for the remaining performances. Tickets

‘Dry Down – Requiem for a Lost Room’ by Déguénon/Gränicher/Wetter

12 to 16 June

The office is dead, long live the office! An olfactory farewell ritual to a space that is hard to beat in its everydayness, yet shapes life and work stories in sometimes absurd ways. All events are currently sold out. There are only a few remaining tickets at the box office. More information

End-of-season programme

‘The New Uncertainty’ by Fatima Moumouni

19 June, 8 pm

Uncertainty isn’t hidden here: a format that seeks the ‘um’, shares doubts – far removed from the eternal, annoying ‘WHAT ELSE CAN ONE DO?’. This time’s guest: dance and theatre artist Donya Speaks. The event will take place in spoken German with DSGS interpreting. Following the discussion, there will be a hangout with a musical performance by storyteller and musician LEGION SEVEN (travelling from Berlin) and a DJ set by Dania Murad aka DJ Madônja. Tickets

‘INSIDE_OUT’ by Kian Amadeus H. and Sarah Calörtscher

19 and 20 June

A participatory personality test in the form of a game show about the inner and outer worlds, porous boundaries, decisions without wrong answers, and insights that symbolise personal growth. Tickets

‘An inclusive summer quiz night’ by KAFi Q

20 June

At KAFi Q, people with and without disabilities come together for a quiz night. There are puzzles in the form of images and movements. A cocktail or snack is served in every round. And there are cool prizes to be won. Free entry. More information

Here’s to a wonderful summer and inspiring encounters.

The Gessnerallee team