Mummenschanz

Theater troupe
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (April 2012) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
  • View a machine-translated version of the French article.
  • Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia.
  • Consider adding a topic to this template: there are already 6,211 articles in the main category, and specifying|topic= will aid in categorization.
  • Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article.
  • You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at [[:fr:Mummenschanz]]; see its history for attribution.
  • You may also add the template {{Translated|fr|Mummenschanz}} to the talk page.
  • For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.
Notable members
Bernie Schürch, Andres Bossard, Floriana FrassettoWebsitewww.mummenschanz.com

Mummenschanz is a Swiss mask theater troupe who perform in a surreal mask- and prop-oriented style. Founded in 1972 by Bernie Schürch,[1] Andres Bossard (August 9, 1944 – March 25, 1992), and the Italian-American Floriana Frassetto, the group became popular for its play with bizarre masks and forms, light and shadow, and their subtle choreography. The name Mummenschanz [ˈmʊmənˌʃanʦ] is German for "mummery", or a play involving mummers. Mummer is an Early Modern English term for a mime artist.

Ensemble

  • Bernie Schurch (August 3, 1944), Switzerland
  • Andres Bossard (August 9, 1944 - March 25, 1992), Switzerland
  • Floriana Frassetto (December 9, 1950), Italy/United States
  • Philip Egli (October 24, 1966), Switzerland
  • Sara Hermann (January 10, 1985), Switzerland
  • Oliver Pfulg (May 28, 1985), Switzerland
  • Eric Sauge (April 26, 1988), Chablais, Switzerland, Technical Director / Light Designer
  • Christa Barrett (April 20, 1990), Switzerland

History

1988 at the Circus Knie
1988 at the Circus Knie

After studies with Jacques Lecoq in Paris and Roy Bosier in Rome, and following a three-year period of experimentation, the Mummenschanz Mask Theater was founded in 1972. In 1973, under the direction of producers Arthur Shafman and Robert B. D'Angelo, Mummenschanz toured the United States, Canada, Europe, and South America, and later enjoyed a 1,326-performance, three-year run on Broadway (1977–80).[2] In 1986, they performed their The New Show at the Helen Hayes Theatre in New York. During this time they were spoofed on Late Night with David Letterman by Chris Elliott.[3] They appeared as special guest stars on the last episode of the first season of The Muppet Show, which taped in November 1976.[4] The troupe won the Rose d'Or for their TV production La Pomme in 1980. They appeared on Sesame Street. They also appeared on 3-2-1 Contact in the 1980s and Northern Exposure in the 1990s. On Feb. 6, 1986 they appeared on The Tonight Show on NBC. In 1987, Mummenschanz performed in the award-winning music video for "Devil's Ball" by Double (featuring Herb Alpert on trumpet). In 1992, Andres Bossard, a founding member of the troupe, died at age 47 from AIDS-related complications.[5] Mummenschanz toured with American actor John Charles Murphy for the duration of Parade, their world tour beginning in 1995. Their next show was an anniversary programme called 40 years, and it presented the highlights of four decades of creative endeavors.[6] In December 2016, Mummenschanz began touring Switzerland with a new program titled "you & me", created by founding member Floriana Frassetto.

See also

References

  1. ^ Bernie Schürch bio, Mummenschanz website. Accessed April 23, 2011. (In German.)
  2. ^ Mummenschanz at the Internet Broadway Database.
  3. ^ YouTube, starting at 1:45
  4. ^ The Muppet Show season 1 DVD.
  5. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna. “Andres Bossard, 47, a Founder of a Mime Trio.” The New York Times, 7 May 1992.
  6. ^ General-Anzeiger-Bonn

External links

  • Media related to Mummenschanz at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website Edit this at Wikidata
  • Mummenschanz at IMDb
  • ​Mummenschanz​ at the Internet Broadway Database Edit this at Wikidata
  • ​Mummenschanz​ at the Playbill Vault Edit this at Wikidata
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • ISNI
  • VIAF
National
  • France
  • BnF data
  • Germany
Artists
  • MusicBrainz
Other
  • IdRef
  • Theaterlexikon