STAGE AS A SANCTUARY
READING, PANEL DISCUSSION, SHORT FILM & MUSIC
WITH: Aws Al-Zubaidy, Teresa Chen, Matthias Neukirch, Aaiún Nin, Pavel Ignatiev und Katiko Purtseladze
TEXT: Matthias Neukirch/ Nina Rühmeier
CONCEPT AND MODERATION: Barbara Higgs
PFAUEN
It is thanks to Ferdinand and Marianne Rieser that, from 1926 onwards, their privately run Pfauentheater became a place of exile and refuge for artists persecuted by the National Socialist regime. Their courageous and far-sighted commitment turned the theatre into a sanctuary — but how and where do theatre-makers at risk work today?
Actor Matthias Neukirch brings the visionary and courageous work of the Rieser directorship vividly into the present through historical letters, texts, and documents. This is followed by a discussion with experts and artists who are at risk in their home countries, exploring how theatre can function as a safe space today.
As an artistic example, the video “Khattaba – on the politics of marriage 1.2” by Aws Al-Zubaidy / Donya Speaks will be shown. Aws Al-Zubaidy was referred through the Artists at Risk (AR) network and is currently a fellow in a residency in Zurich organized by RENA (Refuge Network for Artists). The Angolan poet and artist Aaiún Nin was an ICORN resident in Bern from 2023 to 2025. Pavel Ignatiev and Katiko Purtseladze were also hosted in Switzerland through an Artists at Risk (AR) residency.
To conclude, we celebrate theatre as a place of courage and refuge — with music and a surprise.
In collaboration with RENA (Refuge Network for Artists), Artists at Risk (AR), Omanut und tachles.ch
Supported by the René and Susanne Braginsky Foundation
