34 Questions for the Neumarkt Theatre in Zurich

We have been around since:
1966

What we do in 3 words:
Theatre, texts, drinks receptions.

Our guiding principle is:
A breath of fresh air, a touch of tradition.

Our annual budget:
Around 5 million.

We receive our funding from ...
... the City of Zurich.

If we had an extra 1 million at our disposal each year, we would ...
... retain more artists, invite more emerging talent, and have more time for everything.

We are at our most efficient ...
... on Werdinsel: when rehearsing, tailoring, carpentry, sawing, painting and bathing.

We are at our least efficient...
... when we have to carry stage sets up and down in our own Old Town.

New at the new Theater Neumarkt is ...
... an artistic director who speaks French. ✓
... an ensemble in seductive knightly attire. ✓
... an audience council onto which future minor scandals can be conveniently shifted.
... a programme that is both woke AND conservative. ✓
... the script material performed here. ✓

Our programme ...
... provokes.
... educates.
... seeks out the new.
... breaks with convention. ✓
... defies expectations. ✓
... is entertaining. ✓
... adapts to global political events.
... regularly provokes indignant emails.
... doesn’t really need any further explanation.
... is usually funny when you least expect it.  ✓

Our plays are perfect for ...
... lone wolves.
... midlife crises.
... Swifties.
... Grindr dates.
... Weight Watchers.
... a Sunday with the mother-in-law.
... pensioners’ outings.
... moody teenagers.
... all sorts of dates! ✓

Our plays deal primarily ...
... with the past.
... with the present. ✓
... with the future.

Through our programme, we promote ...
... love. ✓
... knowledge.
... critical thinking. ✓
... alternative facts.
... irony. ✓
... spirituality.
... faith.
... world peace.
... nature conservation. ✓
... irrationality. ✓
... justice.
... confidence.

If our programme were a dish, it would be ...
... a raclette with refills.

Theatre is contemporary when ...
... it concerns us.

The future of theatre is ...
... the death of social media: genuine encounters.

This taboo has not yet been broken in theatre:
None; theatre can dare to do anything.

The initial reactions to the new Theater Neumarkt are ...
... surprised, curious, delighted and supportive.

Unlike the Schauspielhaus, we are ...
... flexible.

A persistent rumour surrounding our work is:
We always have fun.

We’d love to see this superstar, dead or alive, on our stage one day:
Anne-Marie Blanc.

If we didn’t exist, our audience would probably ...
... in the cellar of the Pfauen or the Tanzhaus.

Cultural life in Zurich has something you won’t find anywhere else in the world, and that is...
... the interest of Zurich’s residents in culture and the fact that it is taken seriously here (which is why lovely little scandals can arise very quickly).

For cultural life in Zurich, we would like to see...
... more attention in the traditional media! More spaces! More room! More time (i.e. more money – a little bit).

The best drink at our bar is the ...
Pet Nat Rosé from Cave Mandolé.

For people in wheelchairs, our venue is ...
... accessible with a touch of humour.

By inclusion, we mean ...
... that everyone should feel welcome. And we try to remove all barriers.

This is how many people work for us:
Almost 80.

By team spirit, we mean ...
... that everyone gets involved in everything. And in the end, it’s the artistic director’s fault.

The average salary of our staff is ...
... well below the average salary in Zurich.

We recently made this mistake:
Spelling Courgenay wrong on the posters.

The hardest part of our work ...
... is the hours leading up to the premiere, when we’re certain we’ve got it all wrong.

The best thing about our work ...
... are the hours after the premiere, when our work has been seen and has resonated with people.

Working for culture is worthwhile because ...
... culture allows people to still connect with one another in the real world.

We’d also like to share this with you:
We need cool media!