Three questions for Ceylan Öztrük and hot tips for the start of the season

Dear visitors to Gessnerallee, dear artists

We will soon be kicking off the new 2025/26 season – from 11 to 21 September, everything at the theatre will revolve around the programme focus ‘(Un)gentle Learning’. Artist Ceylan Öztrük will kick things off with the premiere of ‘Fourth Eye, 4.40 AM’ – a highlight for performance nerds and anyone who loves unusual spaces. Here are three questions and answers with the artist to get you in the mood.

Gessnerallee: The spatial concept for ‘Fourth Eye, 4.40 AM’ is particularly impressive. What is the significance of the light installation on the ceiling?

Ceylan Öztrük: In this work, the light acts as a kind of secondary narrator. It shapes the atmosphere, influences the perception of the performance and becomes an active presence that guides the audience's experience.

What thoughts occupy you in your artistic practice?

My work is driven by questions, and the focus shifts with the different phases of life. At the moment, I am intensively engaged with existentialist ideas, which find their way into my work. In my thinking, there is also a fascinating tension between the existential and the political – something that is still taking shape, but is very present.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Inspiration can come from anywhere – from images, gestures, fragments of everyday life. For me, there is never just one source. Someone who is familiar with all my work may recognise a common thread, but from my perspective it is a constellation of many influences that somehow align in one direction.

The premiere of ‘Fourth Eye, 4.40 AM’ on 11 September is already sold out, but there are still some tickets available at the box office. Secure your tickets now for the performances still available on 13, 14 and 15 September. Here are a few hot tips for the entire ‘(Un)gentle Learning’ programme:

Hot tips for the start of the season ‘(Un)gentle Learning’

→ for everyone who loves aesthetics of access:

• ‘Pas Moi’ by Diana Anselmo (12.09., 13.09.)

• ‘Sleight of Hand’ by Jo Bannon in German (19.09.) and English spoken language (20.09.)

• ‘Stars Are Never Sleeping, Dead Ones and the Living’ by Theres Indermaur and Stephanie Müller (11–21 September)

→ for anyone who likes fast-paced discourse:

• ‘Neutrality Theatre – The Myth of Switzerland Put to the Test!’ by Hannan Salamat, Fatima Moumouni and Disco der guten Dienste (18.09.)

• ‘KOMMANDO AJAX’, reading by Cemile Sahin (21.09.)

→ for anyone who likes their discourse relaxed and Covid-safe:

• ‘Muskeln aus Plastik – eine crip-queere Lesung’ (Muscles made of plastic – a crip-queer reading) by Kay Matter (14 September)

→ as well as music and dance for everyone, free of charge:

• ‘When the Calabash Breaks’ by Tiran Willemse and Melika Ngombe Kolongo (Nkisi) (20 September, 21 September)

But before we start with ‘(Un)gentle Learning’, let's take a quick look at this week's programme.

Programme for the week

3 September, 7 to 9 pm

‘Monthly legal advice’ from the Association for Rights in the Arts (ARITA)

Lawyers advise artists from all disciplines in the offices of the Gessnerallee. More information

4 September, 6 to 7.30 p.m.

Resonance room: ‘Exchange of experiences on the new funding model for dance, theatre and performance’

A year and a half after the introduction of the new funding model, artists and representatives from Tanzhaus, Fabriktheater, Zürcher Theater Spektakel and Gessnerallee come together to reflect on their experiences. More information

Newspaper

Everyday and radical moments of transgression and change, such as leaving behind phases of life and identity concepts, or confronting one's own mortality or the death of others – the programme focus ‘(Un)gentle Learning’ invites you to a place where these moments can be celebrated together and where artists and visitors can encounter each other in aesthetic experiences and surrender to transformations. Curious? Read more about ‘(Un)gentle Learning’ in the article (only in German) by dramaturge Isabel Gatzke here.

Speaking of print: if you would like to read more of our cultural stories, which are created with love and care, then subscribe to the Gessnerallee newspaper now. We will be publishing a total of four issues in the coming season. The next – fifth – issue will be published in September. Orders can be placed at zeitung@gessnerallee.ch.

Furthermore

For anyone who wants more Gessnerallee in their life in the coming season, we offer an annual pass. There are three price categories to choose from: dream price CHF 350 / desired price CHF 250 / small price CHF 150.

Unless otherwise indicated, the annual pass includes all theatre, dance and performance shows as well as concerts and club evenings. The annual pass can be purchased at the box office or online.

The Tanzhaus is currently looking for around eight to ten ‘Kompliz:innen’ (individual artists or groups) who would like to work closely with the Tanzhaus for the 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 seasons. The ‘Kompliz:innen model’ was developed in 2024 under the direction of Catja Loepfe in response to the new funding system introduced by Stadt Zürich Kultur. From the 2026/2027 season onwards, Lisa Letnansky and Guillaume Guilherme will take over the direction of Tanzhaus Zurich and continue the model in a modified form. Their aim is to establish long-term, reciprocal relationships and cultivate partnerships with emerging and established artists on an equal footing. More information

We look forward to starting the new season with you!

The Gessnerallee team