Regulars’ Table

There will again be a regulars’ table at the Theater Spektakel this year. Amidst the festival’s hustle and bustle, it offers opportunities to get together, talk and exchange ideas with others in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether you prefer to listen or to talk, have an opinion or like to form one, this is the perfect place to encounter other people and perspectives. Every evening the table is chaired by one or more hosts. They come from different backgrounds: artists, activists or politically and socially engaged individuals. Their thoughts and questions on current social issues are the starting point for the table talks. Everything else is up to you as this is your table. Sit down. There is a lot to talk about – and something  to drink as well! (nt)

What happens in me when I move to another country?

With: Salla Ruppa and Caroline da Costa of Maxim Theater (Switzerland)

Thu 15/8

«Your name is Ludmilla - you are desperately looking for a rich Swiss man.» Why and how do we use certain attributions to «arrange» our understanding of cultural differences? With which prejudices do I perceive others and what prejudices do others have about me? How can prejudices become stereotypes? A self-reflexion on one’s own behaviour towards the «other». A playfully introduced discussion to raise the awareness of stereotyped thinking with the possibility to slip into the skin of a «stranger». | Language: English and German

When the personal memory becomes a common history

With: Chrystèle Khodr and Waël Ali (Lebanon, Syria)

Fri 16/8

Chrystèle Khodr & Waël Ali talk about their theatre performance «Titre provisoire». It retraces the migratory movements in the Middle East based on a real story of a family, none of the members of which was born and died in the same country in the past hundred years. Why is this story important and for whom? How is it possible to make theatre in a region marked by ongoing war? When does the personal become political? | Language: English and French

Sat 17/8, no regular#39;s table

Beyond White Innocence

With Gloria Wekker (Surinam, Netherlands) and Rohit Jain (Switzerland)

Sun 18/8

The Dutch-Surinamese anthropologist Gloria Wekker is one of the most influential Afro-European intellectuals. In her work, she questions the correlations of colonialism, diaspora, gender and sexuality between the Caribbean and Europe. Based on her latest book «White Innocence. Paradoxes of Colonialism and Race», she investigates how the Netherlands manages to maintain the myth that 400 years of imperialism have not left any traces in society. Following her lecture as part of the series «Talking on Water», you can discuss with Gloria Wekker and social anthropologist and anti-racism activist Rohit Jain at the Regular’s Table. | Language: English

The government and the climate issue

With Klimastreik Zürich (Switzerland)

Mon 19/8

Hardly any other topic was more present in 2019 than the climate crisis. The political earthquake triggered by student strikes created a cross-party consensus on the necessity of government measures to reduce global warming. Over many years, it has become increasingly obvious that the strategy of individual responsibility does not work - nevertheless, there are disagreements as to how much influence the government should take. How strongly should the government be allowed to restrict the individual freedom in order to fight the climate crisis effectively? Should it be allowed to prohibit obvious things such as plane trips? How much personal freedom and responsibility should be left to us.

Bla*sh: The Talk

With Mit Baba Altenburger (dancer), Rahel El-Maawi (socio-cultural activist) and Yara Gisler (performer)

Tue 20/8

Together with the activists of Bla*Sh, the network of black women in German-speaking Switzerland, we question social hierarchic processes and reflect our own actions.| Language: German and English

Talk with instead of about Muslim women

With Asmaa Dehbi and Merve Sulemani (students, Zurich) of Verein UMMAH Muslimische Jugend Schweiz

Wed 21/8

Frauen verhandelt, und was haben diese Fragen mit dem Phänomen der Projektion zu tun?

What do you think of when it comes to Islam? What images come to mind? Why are there so many social debates especially on Muslim women, and what do those questions have to do with the phenomenon of projection?

City on Fire: On the Anti-Extradition Law Protests in Hong Kong

With Royce Ng (Hong Kong)

Thu 22/8

Ever since the anti-extradition bill marches in June 2019 with an estimated 2 million participants and the violent repression of the peaceful protest by the police, the small semi-autonomous territory Hong Kong, whose inhabitants resist the Chinese government and its increasing influence on local politics and the rule of law, has attracted worldwide attention. The Hong Kong based artist   Royce Ng, in the programme with the multi-media performance «Queen Zomia», discusses the protests and their worldwide effect on society and explains why the solidarity of the Left is of crucial importance in this moment. | Language: English

Talk with instead of about Muslim women

With Asmaa Dehbi and Merve Sulemani, students and contributors in the muslim youth work

Fri 23/8

What do you think of when it comes to Islam? What images come to mind? Why are there so many social debates especially on Muslim women, and what do those questions have to do with the phenomenon of projection?

A blonde goes to the theatre…

With FemaleAct (Switzerland)

Sat 24/8

… leaves again and asks for more equality and diversity. FemaleAct is an interest group of actors formed to advocate for equality and diversity in film, television and theatre. In 2017, a study of the university of Rostock was published on the diversity in German film and television. It revealed an average male/female ratio of 2/1. Based on those facts, we take a critical look on the cultural industry together with the activists of FemaleAct. How do public images influence the awareness of gender and (supposedly) the roles involved? What needs to be done so that all sections of the population can recognise themselves in public representations?

The Rise of Extractive Logics

With Saskia Sassen (USA) and Rohit Jain (Switzerland)

Sun 25/8

Saskia Sassen is one of the most influential thinkers of our time. Her theses on globalisation and global cities have become important reference points for many theorists. On the occasion of the lecture series «Talking on Water», Saskia Sassen addresses topics such as «The Rise of Extractive Logics». She demonstrates the interrelationship between the development of the land market in the global South of the past century and the emergence of an acute phenomenon: The purchase of cheap residential property financed by funds in countries of the global North. Continue the discussion with Saskia Sassen and social anthropologist Rohit Jain at the Regular’s Table.| Language: English

The government and the climate issue

With Klimastreik Zürich (Switzerland)

Mon 26/8

Hardly any other topic was more present in 2019 than the climate crisis. The political earthquake triggered by student strikes created a cross-party consensus on the necessity of government measures to reduce global warming. Over many years, it has become increasingly obvious that the strategy of individual responsibility does not work - nevertheless, there are disagreements as to how much influence the government should take. How strongly should the government be allowed to restrict the individual freedom in order to fight the climate crisis effectively? Should it be allowed to prohibit obvious things such as plane trips? How much personal freedom and responsibility should be left to us?

Monstrous bodies

With Nina Santes (France)

Tue 27/8

Fear can be something very physical. Not only do you feel it in your own body, there are also bodies which seem to be destined to cause fear: monsters, beasts, zombies. Especially zombies are often used as metaphors for social fears. The Haitian zombie was created against the backdrop of colonialism and the xenophobia instilled by society; contemporary zombie films reflect the futility of the consumer age. Together with the artist Nina Santes, in the programme with «Hymen Hymne», we investigate questions such as: What role do theatre, film and art play in the creation of such frightening entities? What role do we play in this? | Language: English and French

What happens in me when I move to another country?

With Salla Ruppa and Caroline da Costa of Maxim Theater (Switzerland)

Wed 28/8

«Your name is Ludmilla - you are desperately looking for a rich Swiss man.» Why and how do we use certain attributions to «arrange» our understanding of cultural differences? With which prejudices do I perceive others and what prejudices do others have about me? How can prejudices become stereotypes? A self-reflexion on one’s own behaviour towards the «other». A playfully introduced discussion to raise the awareness of stereotyped thinking with the possibility to slip into the skin of a «stranger». | Language: English and German

Under suspicion

With Wilson Adebayo and Marco Medici of Allianz gegen Racial Profiling (Switzerland)

Thu 29/8

We are all different. But what happens to someone when this diversity causes suspicion. When you constantly feel suspected and get to experience it time and again? When you cannot defend yourself against it, not even in court? What are the psychological and social effects of this general suspicion on a person, on a society? We discuss this issue with two members of the alliance against racial profiling.| Language: German and French

Staging Alternate Histories: A lesson by children for adults

With Samara Hersch & Lara Thoms (Australia)

Fri 30/8

Samara Hersch and Lara Thoms, in the programme with «We All Know What’s Happening», share a common interest in the collaboration with amateur performers with different backgrounds in order to uncover stories that are ignored, censored, forgotten or rewritten. At the Regular’s Table, they discuss their approaches when staging minor or undetected stories and their individual performance practices. They focus on questions such as: What stories do children learn, what do children learn when they are young, what do children teach to adults? | Language: English

*Transformative justice*

With awarenetz.ch

Sat 31/8

How can we deal with violence (i.e. sexualised violence or racism) in our communities without calling the police? How can we collectively assume responsibility instead of relinquish it. What is justice like without punishment or jail? We discuss the theory and practice of transformative justice and collective responsibility when dealing with violence and conflicts.| Language: German