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DU DENKST VIELLEICHT, WAS HÖR ICH DA, UND ICH SAGE DIR – ES IST DIE WASCHMASCHINE

DU DENKST VIELLEICHT, WAS HÖR ICH DA, UND ICH SAGE DIR – ES IST DIE WASCHMASCHINE

Music theatre by Ruedi Häusermann
with texts by Robert Walser
DIRECTED BY & COMPOSITION: Ruedi Häusermann

PFAUEN
WORLD PREMIERE: 06.02.2026

1 hour 50 minutes (no interval)

Time and again, composer and director Ruedi Häusermann finds astute parTime and again, composer and director Ruedi Häusermann identifies astute parallels between Robert Walser’s world views and his own preoccupations as a person and an artist; as is also the case in his latest theatre production for the Schauspielhaus Zürich. Robert Walser was a master at allowing the seemingly insignificant to grow. He adored hesitant little clouds, dreamy uncertainty and thoughtless thoughts because they were just thoughts, and concluded: ‘Even the most serious people sometimes long for the spontaneity of play.’

This is one of the reasons why Häusermann himself will be performing on stage with his jazz trio and a string quartet alongside three actors. Here, the sound of a washing machine; there, the murmur of a meticulously executed composition. Experiencing one within the other becomes a delightful interplay. Everyday trifles in a city façade made of paper become intertwined with thoughts about human existence.

"Where distance disappears, closeness draws tenderly near." – Robert Walser

Supported by Else v. Sick Stiftung

 

SOUND SAMPLES
For musical excerpts from the production, visit SoundCloud.

 

Audio guide
Barbara Tacchini, Dramaturgy

Ensemble © Zoé Aubry

Rahel Hubacher, Michael Neuenschwander © Zoé Aubry

Ensemble © Zoé Aubry

Ruedi Häusermann, Ensemble © Zoé Aubry

Ensemble © Zoé Aubry

Rahel Hubacher, Michael Neuenschwander © Zoé Aubry

Kubus Kollektiv © Zoé Aubry

Ruedi Häusermann © Zoé Aubry

Ensemble © Zoé Aubry

Kubus Kollektiv, Trio Häusermann-Käppeli-Meier © Zoé Aubry

Kubus Kollektiv, Trio Häusermann-Käppeli-Meier © Zoé Aubry

Kubus Kollektiv, Trio Häusermann-Käppeli-Meier © Zoé Aubry

Rahel Hubacher, Michael Neuenschwander © Zoé Aubry

Ensemble © Zoé Aubry

FRI 13.02.
Introduction 7.30 p.m.
PFAUEN
THUR 19.02.
PFAUEN
TUE 24.02.
Post artist talk
PFAUEN
SUN 01.03.
PFAUEN
WED 04.03.
PFAUEN
THUR 12.03.
Introduction 7.30 p.m.
PFAUEN
TUE 17.03.
Introduction 7.30 p.m.
PFAUEN
THUR 19.03.
Introduction 7.30 p.m.
PFAUEN
FRI 27.03.
PFAUEN
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Rahel Hubacher
Michael Neuenschwander
Herwig Ursin
also
Trio Häusermann-Käppeli-Meier
Directed & Composed by
Costume design
LIGHTING DESIGN
Carsten Schmidt
Dramaturgy and Collaborative Play Development
Collaboration on costumes
Tiziana Angela Ramsauer
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
STAGE DESIGN ASSISTANT
COSTUME DESIGN ASSISTANT
Rosanna Löw
DIRECTING INTERN
Lucia Denes
Rehearsals Stand In Ruedi Häusermann / Dramaturgy Intern
Marie Fuchs
STAGE DESIGN INTERN
Blanca Bosshard
STAGE MANAGER
Aleksandar Sascha Dinevski
PROMPTING
Rita von Horváth
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"Welcome to a quirky world of sound: composer and theater-maker Ruedi Häusermann shows us how to celebrate life. [...] An evening of theater like a warm embrace. Exactly what is needed in these crazy times."

Julia Nehmiz, CH Media

"The evening is half concert, half play, and often both at once. Ruedi Häusermann consistently focuses on the seemingly small, while always leaving the audience enough space to associate it with the profound."

Valeria Heintges, nachtkritik.de

"Everything is (intentionally) slightly off-track, yet wonderfully harmonious. [...] Working in tandem with Walser, Häusermann searches for the playful within the profound and the profound within the playful."

Elisabeth Feller, Südkurier

"A piece of musical theater in which Häusermann celebrates his long-standing love for Robert Walser. [...] It is less about meaning than about sensuality, which, in Häusermann’s work, culminates in the sound of the music and the cadence of the language."

Ueli Bernays, NZZ
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