In dialogue with Martin Zimmermann

“IN THE END, LAUGHTER CAN SAVE US”

Martin Zimmermann and arts and culture journalist Susanna Koeberle talk about Louise and the importance of humour. (Translated from German by Manon Lacoste)

SUSANNA KOEBERLE: This is the first time you’ve developed a theatre piece featuring exclusively female characters. Why is that?

MARTIN ZIMMERMANN: An investigation of hierarchy and resistance through a focus on women is less influenced by traditional, often male-dominated concepts and stereotypes. Such an approach allows us to explore these themes more intricately and with fewer clichés. As a father, I have been present for the births of my two children. This experience made me acutely aware of the unimaginable challenges endured by a woman’s body throughout her life. With the four performers of different ages, we delved into the taboos surrounding birth, death, sexuality, and gender, as well as into persisting inequalities.

SK: The title of the production, Louise, pays homage to the artist Louise Bourgeois. What role does her work play in your creative process?

MZ: Our piece is, in a way, a dialogue with her. Louise Bourgeois was a perpetual explorer—not only of sculptures and materials but of herself. Our Louise shares this trait. Like Bourgeois, we work from the inside out. Like Bourgeois, we are searching for truth. Such a search requires you to remove layers, be thorough, aggressive, and messy, but also intuitive. For Bourgeois, the medium was stone; for us, it’s the bodies on stage. She perceived her sculptures to be possessed by a certain magic that gave them the power to dispel inner and outer demons. She referred to this as exorcism. Fragments and entire episodes from her life were translated into the artworks, hovering — dream-like — between the sometimes abstract, sometimes concrete. When one of her ideas became unsettling, disgusting, or repulsive upon execution, she embraced it. And when it turned absurd or humorous, she delighted in it, as if she had outwitted life itself. We share this outlook.

SK: How important is humour to you?

MZ: My background is in circus and what has influenced me the most is the figure of the clown. After all, we are all clowns. We are tragicomic, eccentric creatures with demons and strange, dark emotions — yet we are also driven by an irresistible urge to laugh at the absurd. We don’t always want to take ourselves too seriously and instead see the world dance even in its most chaotic moments. What fascinates me is what the  complexity of this character demands of the performers. To create humour, you need a framework, a setting. You also need rhythm and precise choreography. What appears effortless on stage is, in truth, the result of hard, gruelling work. But through this effort, the magical in the momentary becomes tangible – it is human vulnerability that shines through. In the end, perhaps laughter really can save us.

SK: How would you describe your artistic form?

MZ: We create a théâtre d’objets et de personnages — object- and character-based theatre — rather than spoken drama. The characters are raw but profoundly authentic, rather close to the individuals behind. It is never about imitation or acting. This is an art form that can only arise through collaborative exploration. The characters depend on one another, as much as we do in real life. At the heart of all my work is the human being. What motivates me, ultimately, is my love for humanity and for theatre.

SK: The stage plays a central role in your work. How so?

MZ: My stage designs are spatial inventions with a life of their own. The stage elements — chairs, tables, doors, or staircases — aren’t mere props but autonomous protagonists. Everything is equally active. In this particular piece, the stage is a kind of laboratory, a scientific workshop, a place for research and experimentation. Louise is a moving sculpture or a moving poem.

SK: Who is your work for?

MZ: Everyone! The pieces address themes that are experienced universally. I’m not interested in delivering definitive answers or judgments. For me, theatre must be kaleidoscopic — full of layers, ambiguities, and shifting perspectives.

Louise will be staged on Tuesday 29 July and Wednesday 30 July at 8:30 pm at the Teatro Comunale di Bolzano
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