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Mummenschanz is a unique Swiss pantomime troupe who perform a surreal mask and prop oriented style. Founded in 1972 by Bernie Schürch, Andres Bossard (†1992) and the Italo-American Floriana Frassetto. The group became popular with its play with bizarre masks and forms, with light and shadow, and with their subtle choreography.

• Floriana Frassetto (Italy/USA)
• Bernie Schürch (Switzerland)
• Raffaella Matioli (Italy)
• Jakob Bentsen (Denmark)
• Ueli Riegg (Technical Director and lighting designer, Switzerland)

The name Mummenschanz became, in a bit more than three decades, all around the world, the embodiment of contemporary Mask Theatre. Without spoken word, completely visual and without any music or set, just with masks and bodies. Mummenschanz has invented a new, universal and entertaining language of motions, whose expressions can be understood by everybody all around the world.

With enormous verve from their extremely instructive studies during the 1960s (with Jacques Lecoq in Paris and Roy Bosier in Rome), they founded in 1972 –after a three year phase of experiments in all genres– the Mummenschanz Mask Theater.

They appeared as special guest stars on the last episode of the first season of The Muppet Show, which taped in November 1976. ^[1]

With this timely alternative to the traditional story-telling Pierrot Lunaire, the poetic white faced clown, or to the usual Mime with virtual powers and props, Mummenschanz set a completely new example with their innovative techniques of modern mask play. In more than ten years of creative experimenting and researching in a variety of theaters in Switzerland and abroad, including a three year run on Broadway (1977-79), Mummenschanz had a presence across numerous international stages.

In the 1980s and 90s, two more full-length shows or a repertory of more than 100 sketches with advanced and further developed mask and play techniques were created. With these Mummenschanz came to be one of the most popular theater attractions among audiences.

Their newest show is called 3x11 and presents the highlights of more than three decades of creative endeavours.

• The official Mummenschanz webpage

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