Lake Zurich Theatre Festival celebrates 40 years

This year’s Zürcher Theater Spektakel is the 40th edition of the annual stage festival. The programming has always built bridges between cultures and continents, and this year is no exception.  

Ennio Lenaza/Keystone

This festivalExternal link, which runs to September 1, does not shy away from the political. Artists and performers from around the globe are staging encounters with realities “that would not reach us otherwise”, says the team of directors. Their work puts “the problem of global and regional inequality” on the stage and hopes to come up with a new vision.

Renowned South African William Kentridge is among the many international artists coming here to the Landiwiese, the name of the park on the shore of Lake Zurich. His solo exhibition in the Kunstmuseum Basel opened only two months ago. Kentridge is no stranger to the stage. Together with the Handspring Puppet Theatre, he has come to Zurich several times in recent decades to remind the audience of life under Apartheid and afterwards.

The Landiwiese and the festival are also a place for a spontaneous visit. To celebrate the 40th anniversary there are many free performances, interactive shows and literary readings. And last but not least, the festival is famous for its culinary fare. It is as international as the program on stage and some of the caterers have been at this festival for decades.