Farewell tour after 55 years of theatre history

05. March 2026

Farewell tour after 55 years of theatre history

Ever since 1972, MUMMENSCHANZ has been inspiring the world of international theater and an audience of millions around the globe. After 55 years, the award-winning Swiss troupe is now bidding farewell to its audiences with a final tour and a production by the name of “Adieu!”. The farewell tour pays homage to a unique life’s work and invites all generations to embark once more on a journey filled with imagination, poetry and wonder. The premiere is scheduled to take place in Zurich on December 3, 2026.

Founded in Paris in 1972, MUMMENSCHANZ is synonymous the world over with contemporary masked theater that transcends language, culture and international borders. Without spoken word, music or stage design, and using only masks, bodies and a black background, founders Floriana Frassetto, Andres Bossard and Bernie Schürch created an entirely new dimension in stage art. Their visual, universal form of theater took the world by storm.

With Andres Bossard’s passing in 1992 and Bernie Schürch’s retirement in 2012, Floriana Frassetto has become the artistic soul and driving force behind MUMMENSCHANZ. A period of more than five decades has seen numerous full-length programs, more than 100 productions and the development of an unmistakable style, both in terms of the acting and the masks worn. Celebrated on all continents, MUMMENSCHANZ remains a symbol of poetic theater –a unique form of emotional expression that, while entirely wordless, is profoundly moving.

“Adieu!” marks the end of this extraordinary journey. For the farewell tour, Floriana Frassetto has put together a program that combines highlights from 55 years of MUMMENSCHANZ: “I want to bring our creative universe, in all its facets, back to the people and thus provide a counterpoint to the noisy world that exists outside the theater.” Popular and iconic acts from the troupe’s broad repertoire can be experienced first-hand – including the fragile, air-filled Giants, the legendary Pipe Creature and plenty of other bizarre shapes and objects brought to life by five actors. The program is complemented by several new, surprising scenes and the distinctive, headstrong characters that have always set MUMMENSCHANZ apart.

“Adieu!” is a theater experience without words or music. A poetic and imaginative journey that requires no translation and appeals to people of all ages. For 90 minutes, MUMMENSCHANZ transports the audience into a boundless yet familiar world of quiet comedy, poetry, tenderness and magic.

The farewell tour will begin on December 3, 2026, at Theater 11 in Zurich. It will travel all over Switzerland before the curtain falls for the last time at the end of 2027. More than 100 shows are scheduled to take place in 25 locations across the country.

With “Adieu!”, MUMMENSCHANZ is saying goodbye to its loyal audience. If you would like to experience the company perform live again – or for the first time – in Switzerland, this is your last chance. This tour is more than a farewell: it marks a piece of theater history.