About

Phil Hayes is a performance-maker and theatre-artist, performer, actor and musician.
He has also worked in kitchens, restaurants, pubs, factories, on the radio, on tv and on building sites.
He was born on the south coast of England and studied Creative Arts in Newcastle upon Tyne many years ago.
Based in Zurich since 1998, Phil has spent most of this time creating performance and theatre work, mainly with First Cut Productions, including;

Waiting For Rod (2005), 
The First Cut (2007), 
Where Were We (2008), 
Awkward Human (2011), 
Legends & Rumours (2013)  
Love & Happiness (2014)
Places Of Interest (2016)
These Are My Principles... (2016)
WORK (2017)
Under The Influence I - III (2018-19)
Heavy Hitters (2020)
Revenge (2020/21)
Invited Ghosts (2022)
Deception (2023/4)

In Phil’s work, the collaborative process is generally the basis for generating content and form together with a rolling series of of new and regular collaborative partners. His work has regularly toured internationally. 

Phil has also made performance-based works in other contexts, as well as working as a freelance performer, director, advisor, dramatug or musician in collaborations with other artists and groups. He has been a regular collaborator with British performance group Forced Entertainment (2009 - 2016) and worked on several projects with choreographer and performance-maker Simone Aughterlony. Phil has also collaborated on projects for and with (amongst others); CAMPO, Theater HORA, Theater Neumarkt, John Rowley Nada Gambier Maria Jerez, Thomas Kasebacher, Chris Kondek & Christiane Kuehl,  watzdameyer, Sachs & Suhner, Salome Schneebeli, Stadttheater Bern, Regina Wenig, Cocoloco Performance, Urbanauts, Mass & Fieber, Natural Theatre Company, Bruvvers, Thom Luz,  Low Flying Theatre and Live Theatre Company,

In 2011 Phil  was a member of the Jury for the ZKB-Förderpreis at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel festival.
In 2013 Phil was awarded a Werkstipendium prize by the city of Zurich for his work to date.
2016 - 17 Phil was Artist In Residence at the ZHdk - Zurich University of the Arts
In 2019 Phil Hayes recieved a Freiraum research bursary from Kanton Zürich and amongst other things spent time with Rude Mechs theatre collective in Austin Texas.
In 2020, Phil Hayes - First Cut Productions were awarded a "kulturelle Auszeichnung“ award from the City of Zurich, for the UNDER THE INFLUENCE I-III series of performances 

In 2023, Phil was a mentor for Hewar Theater's So-Low project for emerging artists in Alexandria, Egypt.
Phil has taught, lead workshops and mentored students at the Zhdk in Zurich, HKB Bern and La Manufacture in Lausanne.
In 2021, Phil was one of the theatre mentors for double  - a mentoring and coaching programme from Migros-Kulturprozent

Phil has acted in several films, including: Der Traumhafte Weg from Angela Schanelec, Mary Queen of Scots from Thomas Imbach, Zimmer 606 from Peter Volkart and Bagger Drama from Piet Baumgartner

In 2008 he appeared as the character Peter Tate in thirty episodes of the SRF Swiss television show Giacobbo/Müller- Late Service Public.

In 2017 - 2018 Phil hosted an eclectic monthly Radio programme Any Other Night on Radio Stadtfilter in Winterthur.

Phil has written, made, played and released songs and music with (amongst others); Guz, Knarf Rellöm Jerry J. Nixon, The Songbirds, Monomerz, and Hipflasks.
2014 - 2020, Phil was active with Phil Hayes & The Trees together with Sarah Palin and Martin Prader, releasing two albums on the DALA Produkte label and an EP on Ikarus Records.  
Phil is currently writing and releasing music as part of his Assignments project, whereby song ti­tles and and first lines are sug­gested by others.
A full discography is here.

Phil recieved an Covid- Arbeitsstipendium from Stadt Zürich Kultur in 2021 /2022

This website contains details of recent work as well as performance dates, an archive of performance projects, news and ideas etc.
Information about all First Cut Productions projects can be found here.

Phil Hayes - First Cut Pro­duc­tions work is rep­re­sented for tour­ing by Lise Leclerc, at Tutu Pro­duc­tion in Geneva.