Ueli Bichsel and Martin Kaufmann, Barbara Stehli, Marc Locatelli
Photo: KULTagentUR
Ueli Bichsel has been working in theatre and directing for 40 years. He was awarded the Swiss Cabaret Prize in 2010 and the Culture Prize of the Canton of Zurich in 2015. Born in Zurich in 1952, he made his debut as an actor at the Zwischen den Zeilen theatre in Zurich in 1979 after completing an apprenticeship as a structural draughtsman, nurse and social worker. In 1981, he founded the theatre group Die Lufthunde with Marcel Joller and attracted a great deal of attention in Europe with his productions. Shortly afterwards, the Kultur im Zelt collective gave him the opportunity to travel to Africa for 13 years with his own circus, Federlos. In addition to his convincing performance, his affinity for writing theatre texts and circus choreographies as well as building stage installations set him apart. After various engagements in the Swiss cabaret scene, he met the actress Silvana Gargiulo while working as a director, with whom he has been collaborating since 2004. He is currently working on a new stage program with his daughter Anna Frey entitled Gstört.
Photo: Barbara Faissler
Martin Kaufmann (*1980) grew up in Aargau and has lived in Winterthur for several years. He studied movement acting in Zurich and has since worked in the independent theatre scene as an actor and theatre teacher. His engagements have taken him to the Madame Bissegger Theatre, Alpentheater, Karl-May-Freilichtspiele and Schauplatz International. After two productions of his own, he founded the theatre company Sigrist & Papst together with Arnold Lüönd and is now producing the second production under this name. Barbara Stehli (*1975) grew up in Aeugst a./A and has lived in the Zurich Oberland for some time. She graduated from the Comart movement acting school in 1999. She has been an actress at Theater Dampf for 17 years, accompanies projects at Forumtheater Schweiz and realises commissioned theatre with the DuoSenf ensemble and presents on cabaret stages with the Scharlatanten. Marc Locatelli (*1954) from and about Zurich. After many experiences in various productions and various workshops with Karls Kühne Gassenschau and Ueli Bichsel, he became a member of the Dampf theatre ensemble. The right place to further develop his passion for clownish theatre, which he really discovered at CircusTheater Balloni as Kägi Karl, Örlikä.
Project
The protagonists in our plays were the two eccentrics Chümel and Mäus. Richard Koller (Mäus) will retire as an actor at the end of 2020. This planned departure gave us the impetus for a new story on the themes of "loss, death, giving up dear habits, making new friends".
After the initial grief over the loss of his old friend Mäus and his struggle to accept something new, Chümel finally finds a new friend, who is very different from Mäus, but with whom it is just as easy to live, argue, laugh and play.
The program of the play will be developed as a team. Together with our mentor Ueli Bichsel, we will deepen the above-mentioned themes through improvisation and develop a play for people aged 5 and up. At the same time, ideas and the realisation of the stage design will be developed.
