Max Merker with Emma Murray and Téné Ouelgo
OLD WHITE CLOWNS
Jean-Gaspard Deburau invented modern mime in Paris in 1830. The character of Pierrot enabled him to rise from being a poor immigrant unable to speak French to become a celebrated theatrical star. OLD WHITE CLOWNS tells the story of his life, his art and his time – with total physical commitment and a lot of humour.
Language: German, English and French with German and English subtitles
Physical introduction
1.6., 20:00, with Romi Okewu
2.6., 17:00, with Renato Spardelotto
One hour before the performance begins, the audience is invited to tune in to the performance in a "physical introduction".
This takes place in cooperation with the Centre for Contemporary Dance at the Cologne University of Music and Dance. No registration or prior knowledge required.
Tickets for all Impulse events are also available from our ticket shop.
Max Merker has studied mime. When he plays Pierrot, he makes objects, obstacles and pitfalls appear before the audience’s eyes that do not actually exist. Like the forebears of his genre, he spends a long time acting wordlessly. By contrast, Emma Murray and Téné Ouelgo lend Deburau the voice he never had in public during his lifetime. Speech was forbidden on the stage of his theatre. The censor was afraid of political speeches, while serious theatres were afraid of competition.
Deburau acted for the working class, the poor and for criminals. He felt at ease with them because they could see themselves in him: sad, hungry and without a hope. Always the loser in the end. It was from this self-image that he created the character of Pierrot. And therefore OLD WHITE CLOWNS is also a story about the visible and invisible power structures that still exist today: on stage, in European history and in ourselves.
Credits ›
With: Max Merker, Emma Murray, Téné Ouelgo
Concept, Direction: Max Merker
Concept, Dramaturgy: Martin Bieri
Outside Eye: Viviane Pavillon
Movement Coaching: Emma Murray
Costumes: Nic Tillein
Scenography: Damian Hitz
Lighting: Patrick Hunka
Diversity Advisors: Henri-Michel Yéré, Anisha Imhasly
Musical Advisor: Michel Schröder
Assistant Director, Surtitles: Jarina Müller
Production Manager: Ramun Bernetta
Production ›
A production by Max Merker and Bernetta Theaterproduktionen in co-production with the Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik, Zürich and Kleintheater Luzern. In partnership with ThiK, Theater im Kornhaus Baden. With support from the City of Zurich, Culture Department, the Canton of Zurich, Migros Culture Percentage, the Ernst Göhner Stiftung, the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation, the Elisabeth Weber-Stiftung and the Walter Haefner Stiftung.
Biographies ›
Martin Bieri lives and works in Bern. He is an author, dramaturg and journalist. He studied Theatre Studies and Art History and wrote his Doctorate on contemporary theatre and landscape theory. He has worked as a dramaturg with Luzerner Theater, Theater Neumarkt Zürich, Theater St. Gallen and the independent groups Schauplatz International (Bern/Berlin) and ultra (Geneva/Lucerne). As a playwright, he has regularly collaborated with Ariane von Graffenried and Andri Beyeler. As a journalist, he writes about art, history and football for newspapers and magazines in Switzerland and Germany. His plays and poems have won several literary prizes. He has maintained a long-term collaboration with the director Max Merker. www.martinbieri.net
Max Merker lives in Zürich. He studied Philosophy and German Literature in Berlin and Freiburg im Breisgau, and graduated in Acting and Physical Theatre from Folkwang University in Essen. His graduation piece with the dancer Héloïse Fournier was awarded the Folkwang Prize and shown at numerous festivals. Merker works as an actor and director at city theatres and in the independent sector, for example at Bühnen Bern, Luzerner Theater and the Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik in Zurich. He produces multi-lingual and cross-art form evenings in a range of groupings. His works have been invited to a variety of festivals, including the Swiss Theatertreffen and the Heidelberger Stückemarkt. He has maintained long-term collaborations with the dramaturg Martin Bieri, the actor Aaron Hitz and the production manager Ramun Bernetta. www.bernetta.net/maxmerker
Emma Murray is a dancer and choreographer from New Zealand who lives in Bern. At the age of 19 she was a soloist with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Since 1997 she has lived and worked in Europe. She danced at Stadttheater Bern for eight years since before becoming a freelance artist working in choreography, theatre, performance and dance. From 2013 to 2015 she was Associated Artist at Dampfzentrale Bern and a YAA! (Young Associated Artist) with Pro Helvetia, which co-produced several of her works. Murray has created many evening-length pieces including ‘My Body is an Island’ (2008), ‘naturalcauses’ (2011), ‘the way you look tonight’ (2014), ‘Motherfuckers’, ‘PARTICIPATION’ (2017) and, in collaboration with the visual artist Latefa Wiersch, ‘nepasdedeux’, ‘MONSTERHOOD’ (2019) and ‘PUDDING CLUB’ (2022). She completed a Masters in Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) at Bern University of the Arts (2020). www.bernetta.net/emmamurray / www.emmamurray.ch
Téné Ouelgo is an actor, educator and drum teacher. From 2002 to 2006 he trained in acting, music and dance and as a theatre educator in Ouagadougou. He came to Germany for the first time in 2009. From 2009 to 2013 he held a range of engagements as a dance, msuci and theatre educator for school and leisure projects in Europe and Africa and as a guest at the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg. From 2013 to 2017 he was a full-time ensemble member at the Theater Altenburg-Gera in Thuringia. He was nominated for the German Theatre Prize Der Faust as Best Performer in 2017. Since 2017 he has lived in Basel and worked freelance. Projects have included the series of readings ‘Africa is no Country’ and the stage play ‘Dr. Ueli’. He was engaged as a performer for the exhibition ‘SUPER – Die zweite Schöpfung’ at the Museum für Kommunikation Bern and in ‘Die Schokoladenwaffenfabrik’ by Philippe Heule at the Rote Fabrik Zurich in 2021. In 2022 he directed and acted in ‘2042 – Ein Spiellabor für Zukünfte’ at Schlachthaus Theater Bern. Ouelgo is a founder member and President of the company Arts sans Frontière and a founder member of Zama Kultur and the Association Art et Développement de Ouagadougou (AADO). www.ouelgo-tene.com