Encounter in Zurich. Since 1980

The Zürcher Theater Spektakel is a place of encounter with international art. Since 1980, it has brought artists with diverse experiences, backgrounds and perspectives to Zurich. This openness to the world is one of the festival’s key contributions – both to the city and to Switzerland.

As an international festival based in Switzerland, we see it as our responsibility to keep open the space for international exchange that the Zürcher Theater Spektakel has always offered. This includes transcultural dialogue and mutual understanding. It is both an opportunity and a challenge for everyone involved. It requires us to acknowledge that we look at the world from vastly different positions, shaped by differing experiences, resources and perspectives. It calls for a willingness to engage with other viewpoints and realities – and the courage to tolerate positions we may not share ourselves, provided they remain within the framework of fundamental democratic values and the law.

Wars and violent conflicts around the world have always led artists to take a stand and position themselves – whether in favour of an end to violence or as a gesture of solidarity with those perceived to be weaker. The events of 7 October 2023 and their aftermath were one such moment. The politically charged and tense climate that followed the Hamas terrorist attack, Hezbollah’s shelling and Israel’s military response in Gaza and Lebanon prompted us to articulate once again what the Zürcher Theater Spektakel stands for – both as a stage for contemporary artistic work and through its formats for conversation, exchange and discourse.

Meanwhile, people continue to die. In current conflict regions, the protection of civilians seems to be increasingly disregarded. Civilian casualties are no longer avoided but have become part of a strategy. Victims of war and violence – and the empathy extended to them – must never be instrumentalised.

As a public institution, we are part of a public sphere that faces these challenges and is engaged in a continuous process of learning. We see it as our purpose to create spaces of encounter and foster dialogue. This also entails a responsibility: to define boundaries where respectful discourse is violated or undermined. Hate speech, incitement, racism, antisemitism, anti-Muslim racism and any form of discrimination have no place at the Zürcher Theater Spektakel.

At the same time – and in light of the complexity of these conflicts – we believe it is both necessary and essential that we, as a cultural institution and as a society, learn to hold contradictions and ambiguities, to uphold freedom of expression and artistic freedom, and to ensure that our shared dialogue continues. This ongoing exchange forms the very foundation for international encounters at this festival.

Zurich, June 2026