The winners 2016
ZKB Patronage Prize 2016
The jury, consisting of five theatre experts, has unanimously taken the following decisions: The Patronage Prize goes to the Syrian production «While I Was Waiting» by Omar Abusaada (director) and Mohammad Al Attar (writer). The jury praised the theatre piece as «a work of art rendered historically urgent by the ongoing Syrian crisis, while embedding aesthetic qualities that outlive the considerations of time and geography».
ZKB Acknowledgement Prize 2016
The Acknowledgement Prize is awarded to the Iranian performance artist Sorour Darabi for her Short Piece «Farci.e», in which she questions sexual identity and gender politics. The jury deemed the work relevant and courageous as it impresses by determination and provocative power as well as by adept use of composition and dramaturgy.
The audience prize 2016
For the first time, the spectators could select their favourite from the nominated productions and award the ZKB Audience Prize of 10'000 Swiss Francs: By a large majority they chose the astonishing circus production «A Simple Space» by the Australian company Gravity & Other Myths.
Acrobat Lachlan Harper was still in Zürich and could receive the prize because he has broken his thumb during a training session some days ago.
Criteria of nomination
The ZKB Patronage Prize CHF 30,000.-
The ZKB Patronage Prize is awarded annually to an artist or a company working in independent theatre, dance theatre or performance art, who have distinguished themselves and shown innovation in the creation of new work. The aim of this prize is to support the chosen recipient in their future projects. The criteria for candidates is that the significant work for which the award is actually given has had its premiere within the past three years.
The festival board nominates five to seven productions from the festival’s current programme. Precedence is given to artists who the board feel have yet to receive a level of public recognition that is commensurate with their achievements. Former winners of the prize are excluded from nomination.
The ZKB Acknowledgment Prize CHF 5000.-
The Acknowledgment Prize allows for additional recognition and support of a nominee whose work is considered to be outstanding. It is awarded to a company or an artist for extraordinary achievement in such areas as choreography, dramaturgy, audience participation or acting.Since 2012 all productions presented in «Short Pieces» have been nominated for the Acknowledgment Prize, unless the artists have not previously won either the Patronage or the Acknowledgment Prize.
The ZKB Audience Prize CHF 10,000.-
For the past twenty years, the Zürcher Kantonalbank has created the possibility for chosen productions from the festival programme to be awarded with either of two prizes: «Nominated for the ZKB Patronage Prize» and «Nominated for the ZKB Acknowledgement Prize» have become reliable indicators of innovative productions well worth seeing. The decision as to who the winners are has always been taken by an expert jury and this will continue to be the situation.
Yet, with the creation of the new ZKB Audience Prize you, dear spectators, can too cast your vote for any production that has been nominated. When you go to see one of these shows, you will be given a ballot on which you can rate what you have seen. The production with the best ratings will receive the ZKB Audience Prize of 10 000 Swiss Francs, which will be awarded together with the other two prizes on Saturday 3 September.
Cast your vote. Not only young, deserving artists can win, but you as well, as participants automatically enter a raffle for the following three prizes:
- a ZKB savings account with a credit of 1000 Swiss Francs
- a VIP package for two persons for the award ceremony and tickets for a performance
- and a dinner voucher worth 200 Swiss Francs for the restaurant L’Andis at the festival
Jury 2016
An independent jury, consisting of five experts, decides on awarding the prizes. The jury panel is chosen by the festival management and is presided by one of its members. This person is not entitled to vote. The jury consultations are not public; the decision for the awarded production is substantiated. The jury’s decisions are announced on the last Saturday of the festival at the occasion of an award ceremony. The members of the jury 2016 are:
Geoliane Arab | BEIRUT
Independent cultural manager. She studied law and dramatic arts at the Lebanese University in Beirut and holds a Master’s degree in public law. She co-directed the Spring Festival 2016 (Beirut, Cairo, Tunis) and currently works as Middle East cooperation manager for the nomadic arts center Moussem (Brussel) and as international development consultant for the Beirut & Beyond International Music Festival as well as for the Danish dance platform Jens Bjerregaard / Aurora Borealis. She is board member of IETM and was selected for the programme «Women of the Mediterranean: Next Generation of Leaders» of Science Po Paris in 2015.
Anne Fournier | ZURICH
Born 1974. Journalist and theatre critic. She studied literature in Lausanne, dramatic
arts in Paris and got trained as a journalist at the Agence télégrafique Suisse. While studying, she worked as a management assistant at a German theatre. Zurich-based since 2003, she wrote for the daily paper «Le Temps» from 2004 to 2014 before becoming the RTS correspondent for Germanspeaking Switzerland. She is a member and co-director of SGTK, the Swiss association for theatre culture, and jury member of the Swiss Grand Prix Theater, formerly known as Hans-Reinhard-Ring.
Marisa Godoy | ZÜRICH
Born 1966 in Brazil. Dancer, choreographer and lecturer. She holds a Master’s degree in dance from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London. Zurich-based since 1999, she has collaborated with artists such as Massimo Furlan, William Forsythe, Cie. Drift and Michel Schröder. Together with the choreographer Michael Rüegg she founded the company OONA Project in 2004, which realises stage projects, video installations and performances in public and private spaces in collaboration with various artists. Their latest work «All Is You», a research into the intimate relationship between performer and audience, was presented at Theaterhaus Gessnerallee in March 2016.
Rucera Seethal | JOHANNESBURG
Born 1981. Following her design studies in Durban and a short stint in the fashion world, she worked in various positions — such as art director, event manager and networker — at «Chimurenga», an important Pan-African magazine for culture, art and politics in Cape Town, between 2004 and 2011. She helped creating a contact network of African artists within and outside Africa. Subsequently, she produced various publications for the African Arts Institute in Cape Town. Since November 2013, she has been programme manager of Pro Helvetia Johannesburg and has been in charge of the performing arts portfolio as well as of communication.
Sankar Venkateswaran | KERALA
Born 1979. Theatre and festival director. He studied at the Calicut University School of Drama & Fine Arts and graduated as theatre director from the Intercultural Theatre Institute ITI in Singapore. In 2007, he founded the theatre collective Roots & Wings in Kerala, with which he has realised several productions, lately «When We Dead Awaken» based on Henrik Ibsen’s work. He has worked for various intercultural projects in Europe and Asia and regularly holds workshops. He was the winner of the 2013 International Ibsen Scholarship. Since last year, he has been the artistic director of the International Theatre Festival of Kerala and is currently establishing a theatre center in Kerala.
Nominees
ZKB Patronage Prize 2016
Omar Abusaada & Mohammad Al Attar, Syria: While I Was Waiting
Nicoleta Esinencu & Teatru-Spălătorie, Republic of Modova: Life
Tabea Martin, Switzerland:
Pink for Girls and Blue for Boys
Bouchra Ouizguen & Compagnie O, Marocco: Ha!
Gravity & Other Myths, Australia:
A Simple Space
ZKB Acknowledgement Prize 2016
Royce Ng, Australia, Hongkong:
Kishi the Vampire
Jeannot Kumbonyeki, Congo-Kinshasa: Le Kombi
Cie. Sündenbock, Switzerland:
Do you know Schubiduwuah?
Farah Saleh & Salma Ataya, Palestine: La même
Volmir Cordeiro, Brazil, France:
Céu / Ciel
Bahar Katuzi & Samaneh Zandinejad, Iran: Special Relativity
Sorour Darabi, Iran, France: Farci.e
Buhlebezwe Siwani: South Africa:
Izwe / Umhlaba / Ngimhlophe
Former Prize Winners
2015
Patronage Prize: 600 HIGHWAYMEN, USA: Employee of the Year
Acknowledgement Prize: Mallika Taneja, India: Thoda Dhyan Se (Be careful)
2014
Patronage Prize: Flinntheater, Deutschland, Indien: Shilpa – The Indian Singer App
Acknowledgement Prize: Geumhyung Jeong, Korea: CPR Practice
2013
Patronage Prize: Luis Biasotto, Argentina: Africa
Acknowledgement Prize: Eisa Jocson, Philippines: Macho Dancer
2012
Patronage Prize: Arco Renz & Amrita Performing Arts, Cambodsha: Crack
Acknowledgement Prize: Naoko Tanaka, Japan, Germany: Die Scheinwerferin
For a complete list of prize winners 1996–2015 please check here