__NOTOC__ Mummenschanz is a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

mask theater troupe who perform in a surreal mask- and prop-oriented style. Founded in 1972 by Bernie Schürch, 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 Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

. The name ''Mummenschanz'' 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

After studies with

Jacques Lecoq Jacques Lecoq (15 December 1921 – 19 January 1999) was a French stage actor and acting movement coach. He was best known for his teaching methods in physical theatre, movement, and mime which he taught at the school he founded in Paris known as ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and Roy Bosier in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, 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). 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 ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on NBC, the first iteration of the ''Late Night'' franchise. It premiered on February 1, 1982, and was produced by Letterman's production company ...

'' by

Chris Elliott Christopher Nash Elliott (born May 31, 1960) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He appeared in comedic sketches on '' Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1988), created and starred in the comedy series '' Get a Life'' (1990–1992) ...

. They appeared as special guest stars on the last episode of the first season of ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a ser ...

'', which taped in November 1976. The troupe won the Rose d'Or for their TV production ''La Pomme'' in 1980. They appeared on ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

.'' They also appeared on ''

3-2-1 Contact ''3-2-1 Contact'' is an American science educational television show produced by the Children's Television Workshop (CTW, now known as Sesame Workshop). It aired on PBS from 1980 to 1988 and later ran on Noggin (a joint venture between the CTW ...

'' in the 1980s and ''

Northern Exposure ''Northern Exposure'' is an American Northern comedy-drama television series about the eccentric residents of a fictional small town in Alaska that ran on CBS from July 12, 1990, to July 26, 1995, with a total of 110 episodes. It received 57 ...

'' 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 A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

(featuring Herb Alpert on trumpet). In 1992, Andres Bossard, a founding member of the troupe, died at age 47 from

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

-related complications. 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.General-Anzeiger-Bonn
/ref> In December 2016, Mummenschanz began touring Switzerland with a new program titled "you & me", created by founding member Floriana Frassetto.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Swiss mimes Theatre companies in Switzerland Performing groups established in 1972 1972 establishments in Switzerland Masks in theatre

Ensemble

History

See also

References

External links