LouiseMartin zimmermannThey reverse roles, turn the existing order upside down, disobey instructions. They are anarchic and wonderful. They are uproarious and mysterious. They are wild and exquisite. They are all Louise.
In a probing and peculiar laboratory, absurd things unfold: experiments of all kinds are conducted with human matter. Four artists (Bérengère Bodin, Marianna de Sanctis, Rosalba Torres Guerrero and Methinee Wongtrakoon) take turns in playing the roles of leader, of office boss, and of guinea pig, patient and slave to all in this place where tyranny reigns. In this thrilling role-play, body, mind, and soul rebel and resist. The protagonists cover their tracks to save their own skin. And thanks to their incredible strength, their raging anger, their quirky humour, their glitzy glamour, and their joie de vivre, they slap tyranny firmly in the face. With creativity and passion, they defy the abysmal, opening up bright new prospects.
Martin Zimmermann’s new work LOUISE is about resistance and the urge to move freely. For 25 years, the multiple award-winning Zurich-based Swiss choreographer has been creating theater with no words using a mix of contemporary circus, dance, and stage installation.
Concept, staging, choreography: Martin Zimmermann
Created with and interpreted by: Bérengère Bodin, Marianna de Sanctis, Rosalba Torres Guerrero, Methinee Wongtrakoon
Music creation: Tobias Preisig
Dramaturgy: Sabine Geistlich
Stage design: Simeon Meier, Martin Zimmermann
Artistic and choreographic collaboration: Romain Guion
Costumes: Susanne Boner
Light design: Ueli Kappeler
Sound design: Andy Neresheimer
Stage manager: Doris Berger
Stage construction: Schauspielhaus Zürich, Metallkonstruktiv Zürich
Costume design and puppet construction: Schauspielhaus Zürich, Susanne Boner
Motorization: Markus Binder
Deputy stage manager: Noah Geistlich
Technical team: Doris Berger, Franck Bourgoin, Jérôme Bueche, Ueli Kappeler, Lea Meierhofer, Andy Neresheimer, Jan Olieslagers
Production and distribution: Alain Vuignier
International producer: Claire Béjanin
Technical office: Ueli Kappeler
Communication: MZ Atelier
Fundraising: Manuela Schlumpf
Photo: Basil Stücheli
Video: Lukas Gähwiler
Production: MZ Atelier
Coproduction: Schauspielhaus Zürich • Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik Zürich • Theater Winterthur • Theater Casino Zug | TMGZ • Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg • Théâtre de Carouge • Le Manège-scène nationale de Maubeuge • maisondelaculture de Bourges / Scène Nationale • Kurtheater Baden (in progress)
“Walking a tightrope between documentary-style storytelling and the complex, often painful reality of combining the roles of mother, woman, and artist, Marianna De Sanctis transforms the stage into a cathartic space. She blends intimate violence with the subtle self-mockery of clowning. A raw and sincere performance, at the crossroads of circus, theatre, and personal testimony.”
“The body of the athlete, shaped by years of meticulous training, becomes an act of protest against misogyny—whether institutional, familial, or artistic. Marianna De Sanctis delivers a powerful political statement, deeply rooted in lived experience, questioning the place of the female artist in a society still riddled with inequality.”
“Blending one-woman show, tragic clowning, acrobatic choreography, and poetic storytelling, Marianna De Sanctis unfolds a hybrid and daring form. Without the safety net of conventional fiction, she invites the audience into a relationship of mutual trust, in a raw performance that turns the stage into a cosmos of meaning and emotion.”