• 30.11.2025

    Winter Update 4/25

    A bit of winter news

    Desperate Measures
    In just ten days time, Desperate Measures finally opens at the Gessnerallee in Zurich

    Something between a last chance and a comeback, a desperate performer is using all his tricks to try to win the respect or trust of the audience… He even hired a band for the occasion.
    He’s just trying to survive in this environment, desperately trying to connect.
    He’s written some songs, started having premonitions, and tries to make predictions to show that he can… connect. 
    Until he starts bleeding on his own tap shoes…

    Desperate Measures is a live theatre performance with live music performed in English with German subtitles.
    A First Cut Pro­duc­tions co­pro­duc­tion with Gess­ner­allee Zurich sup­ported by
    Stadt Zurich Kul­tur, Kan­ton Zurich and Ernst Göh­ner Stiftung. 

    Supported by a res­i­dency at Mon­te­v­ideo, Mar­seille and with thanks to Shawn Sides and Rude Mechs of Austin Texas and Backstage Studio Zürich

    Gessnerallee Zurich
    10.12  20:00
    12.12  20:00
    14.12  20:00
    15.12. 18:00

    With us on-board in the creative team this time are Julia Hintermüller, Kim Noble, Martina Berther, Mario Hänni, Sina Knecht, Dominic Oppliger, Susanne Affolter and Patrik Rimann. Would be lovely to see you there.. 

     
     
     
     

    Bagger Drama

    Piet Baumgartner’s Bagger Drama, with yours truly in a lead role, is still doing the rounds of festivals and is currently streaming online in Switzerland.

    2026

    Lucretia
    Early next year I will be working with Lola Arias on Die Schändung der Lucretia: Ein Casting at Theater Basel. Premiere 14.3.2026

    Treppe
    I will also be working with artist Johanna Müller on the development of an art film project, currently titled Treppe

    Other than that, a sound/listening project with Dominic Oppliger, Julia Kubik and Sophie-Ann Steffen is still  cooking..

     

    Be good to each other, support each other - these are difficult times..

    Phil x
    12.2.2025

    Early 2025 Update 1/25

    A bit of news before Spring comes.

    After completing last years New Values series in coproduction with the Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik, Dominic Oppliger, Jessica Huber and Kim Noble, thoughts turn to this years projects.

    For those who missed it or for those who just want to hear it again, our backstage recording of Kim Noble’s Airline Pilot Song from New Values 3 - The Call Of The Wild / Ruf der Wild­nis is now to be found online here.

    New Creation 2025
    I am currently researching a new project  which will premiere at Gessnerallee Zurich in December 2025. This will be a new performance piece with live music, as yet untitled but with an exciting group of collaborators. I will be undertaking various travels in support of this project, revisiting some distant friends too. I keep coming back to the opening lines of Dicken’s A Tale Of Two Cities:

    It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us,we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…  More news as it happens and things hopefully start to become clearer...

    Bagger Drama
    After picking up prizes at San Sebastian and Max Ophüls Preis Film Festivals, Piet Baumgartner’s Bagger Drama with yours truly in a leading role will open in Swiss and Spanish cinemas this spring.
    Swiss cinema start is planned for 1.5.25. More Info here

    Social Media etc..
    I have left Instagram. I will be updating my website more regularly and sending 4 newsletters a year. Otherwise come and find me over on Mastadon here

    Other links to things here

    Other than that, a sound/listening project with Dominic Oppliger, Julia Kubik and Sebastian Steffen is also slowly cooking..

    Be good to each other, support each other - these are trying times..

    Phil x

  • 1.5.2025

    Spring Update 2/25

    Austin, Marseille, Bagger Drama, Desperate Measures..

    Desperate Measures...
    In March and April of this year I spent three weeks in Austin TX spending time with my friends from Rude Mechs theatre collective and their friends. This also involved time spent in the studio with Ms Shawn Sides and her witnessing my first wobbly steps towards the creation of what we are currently calling Desperate Measures, a new performance piece which will premier at the Gessnerallee in Zurich in December 2025. Despite the current political climate (which is very much real), it is so reassuring to see that there are still a big bunch of very cool people still trying to do good things and to make a difference. 

    In late June this year, I will be in Marseille on a two-week creative residency hosted by the generous people at actoral, whose festival we performed Legends & Rumours at way back in 2015 and These Are My Principles... in 2017.

    Rehearsals begin for me before the summer in Zurich working in blocks leading up the shows at the Gessnerallee in December. With us on-board in the creative team this time are Julia Hintermüller, Kim Noble, Martina Berther, Mario Hänni, Sina Knecht, Dominic Oppliger, Susanne Affolter and Patrik Rimann.

    Bagger Drama
    After picking up the New Directors prize at San Sebastian and Best Directionand Best Script Max Ophüls Preis Film Festivals, Piet Baumgartner’s Bagger Drama, with yours truly in a lead role, finally opens today 1.5.25  in Swiss cinemas  in the german-speaking regions. It is also currently on cinema release in Spain and comes to cinemas in Germany next year. Its a very personal, subtle project from Piet and it was a very generous process to have been a part of back in the summer of 2023.

    I would encourage you to seek it out and see it. I think you might enjoy it.
    More Infos here

    Social Media etc..
    I am not on Facebook or Instagram anymore. I will be trying to update my website more regularly and sending 4 newsletters a year. Otherwise come and find me over on Mastadon or Bluesky

    Links to other things here

    Other than that, a sound/listening project with Dominic Oppliger, Julia Kubik and Baschi Steffen is also slowly cooking..

    Be good to each other, support each other - these are trying times..

    Phil x

  • 1.5.2025

    Autumn Update 3/25

    Desperate Measures in the Gessnerallee, Bagger Drama and and and..

    Desperate Measures
    Its been quite a day…
    Its been quite a week..
    Lets’ just face it, Its been quite a year..
    So how are you all doing?
    How are you coping? 
    What's your strategy?
    What's your alibi?

    Something between a last chance and a comeback, a desperate performer is using all his tricks to try to win the respect or trust of the audience… He even hired a band for the occasion.
    He’s just trying to survive in this environment, desperately trying to connect.
    He’s written some songs, started having premonitions, and tries to make predictions to show that he can… connect. 
    Until he starts bleeding on his own tap shoes…

    And when this is all over and you open your eyes, someone will be waving insistently in front of your face saying in a kind voice .. „Its Ok, you’ve just had a nightmare and now its all over.

    Desperate Measures is a live theatre performance with live music performed in English with German subtitles.
    A First Cut Pro­duc­tions co­pro­duc­tion with Gess­ner­allee Zurich sup­ported by a res­i­dency at Mon­te­v­ideo, Mar­seille.
    Sup­ported by Stadt Zurich Kul­tur, Kan­ton Zurich and Ernst Göh­ner Stiftung. 
    With thanks to Shawn Sides of Rude Mechs in Austin Texas.

    Gessnerallee Zurich
    10.12  20:00
    12.12  20:00
    14.12  20:00
    15.12. 18:00

    After an initial research phase in Austin, in late June I was in Marseille on a two-week creative residency hosted by the generous people at at Montevideo and actoral.  
    First rehearsals working with Kim Noble took place at the Gessnerallee in July, beginning again very soon working in blocks leading up to a Premiere and shows at the Gessnerallee in Zurich 10th -14th December. With us on-board in the creative team this time are Julia Hintermüller, Kim Noble, Martina Berther, Mario Hänni, Sina Knecht, Dominic Oppliger, Susanne Affolter and Patrik Rimann.

     
     

    Bagger Drama

    After picking up the New Directors prize at San Sebastian and Best Directionand Best Script Max Ophüls Preis Film Festivals, Piet Baumgartner’s Bagger Drama, with yours truly in a lead role, has just finished its run in Swiss cinemas  in the german-speaking regions. It opens this week in the French speaking regions and in Germany next year.
    I will be in Budapest Hungary on 11. October for a screening at the Sehenswert Film Festival.

     

    Cat’s Eye - Stephen King - XENIX

    As part of it's Stephen King season, Xenix Kino in Zurich has asked me to read extracts from the short stories collection Night Shift, two of which made their way in to the film Cat’s Eye, which will be showing for one night only on 23rd October. Info here.

    I not on Facebook or Instagram anymore.
    I will be trying to update my website more regularly and send 4 newsletters a year. Otherwise come and find me with other lost souls over on Mastadon or Bluesky or get in touch via my website.

    Links to other things here

    Other than that, a sound/listening project with Dominic Oppliger, Julia Kubik and Baschi Steffen is still slowly cooking..

    AND I will be working in Basel early next year with Lola Arias.
    More news as it happens..

    Be good to each other, support each other - these are difficult times..

    Phil x