Thank you

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

Last Saturday, we brought the 2025/26 season to a close with a barbecue, cool drinks and KAFi Q’s inclusive summer quiz night. Together, we not only celebrated a wonderful end to the season, but also looked back on many enriching encounters. We would like to thank all the artists, partners, sponsors and visitors who have shaped Gessnerallee over the last ten months.

We would also like to share with you the key findings from the audience survey we conducted a month ago. Thank you to everyone who took part and shared their thoughts, experiences and perspectives with us. The wealth of feedback is invaluable to us. We are taking it on board, analysing it carefully and incorporating it into our future work at various levels.

Profile and Perception

• The strongest associations with Gessnerallee are inclusion, dance, performance, openness, community, diversity and internationality.

• It is perceived as a venue for contemporary performing arts that facilitates experimentation, brings together different perspectives and reflects social diversity.

• At the same time, the feedback highlights a recurring challenge: making our commitment to openness tangible for many people and ensuring we are not perceived as exclusive or insular.

• There are repeated suggestions to communicate content, discourses and artistic approaches in a more accessible way, without losing any of the depth of the subject matter.

Programme

• Feedback on the programme paints a picture of carefully curated, experimental and cross-format programming.

• Many visitors associate Gessnerallee with the opportunity to discover new artists and engage with current social issues.

• At the same time, the responses indicate that the programme is sometimes perceived as difficult to access and that expectations regarding a visit are not always clear.

• There is a desire for more international guest performances, a further sharpening of the artistic profile, and formats that promote interaction and a sense of community.

Accessibility

• The measures are viewed positively. Relaxed performances, surtitles and the detailed information on event accessibility are particularly appreciated.

• At the same time, the comments contain specific suggestions for the further development of individual measures and make it clear that accessibility should be understood as an ongoing process.

• In a few cases, it is also suggested that the link between communicated accessibility and diversity in practice amongst the audience should be further strengthened.

And for those who hold Gessnerallee and its history close to their hearts, we highly recommend the report by journalist and photographer Julien Felber (only in German). Together with local character Alice Bamberger, he embarks on a journey through the history of this venue and paints a picture of a place through the ages.

Click here for the weekly round-up of newspaper articles, news and everything we want to share with you.

Newspaper

When the lights go down (only in German)

When the lights go down in the theatre, a promise hangs in the air. In ‘Thoughts on Theatre’, Catja Loepfe, the outgoing artistic director and managing director of Tanzhaus Zürich, writes about precisely this moment: that something can begin which would not be possible outside this space. A moment in which perceptions shift, certainties are shaken, and new forms of listening, thinking and being together emerge. Read the article (onyl in German)

The military, the motorway and independent theatre – the history of Gessnerallee (only in German)

Journalist and photographer Julien Felber embarks on a historical journey through Gessnerallee’s history, spanning over 150 years. From cavalry horses and barracks life, through youth movements and motorway plans, to 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. Read the article (only in German)

Furthermore

Advance ticket sales for the Zürcher Theater Spektakel begin on 26 June. We are particularly delighted that the work ‘Multitud’ by the Uruguayan choreographer Tamara Cubas will first be performed here at the Gessnerallee before moving on to the Landiwiese. Anyone wishing to get an overview of this year’s festival programme can find the full programme on the Zürcher Theater Spektakel website. A lovely preview of the cultural summer following the end of our season.

Before we take our summer break, we’ll be giving you a preview of the coming season at the Gessnerallee next week.

We wish you a good rest of the week.

The Gessnerallee team