Executive & Artistic Director
THOR STEINGRABER
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Mummenschanz
50 Years
featuring
FLORIANA FRASSETTO
TESS BURLA
CHRISTA BARRETT
OLIVER PFULG
SAMUEL MÜLLER
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Sat Nov 2 | 3pm
RUN TIME: 1 hour and 45 minutes,
including a 20-minute intermission
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Please note: This production is performed in a complete blackout without music or dialogue. Silence is requested. Laughter is appreciated.
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Floriana Frassetto | Tess Burla | Christa Barrett | Oliver Pfulg | Samuel Müller
An Interview With Floriana Frassetto
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Program Note
Mummenschanz was a groundbreaker more than 50 years ago when the troupe emerged internationally as a theatrical innovator. I recall, as a child, Mummenschanz’s appearances on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show.” Since then, we have seen similar work emerge on a variety of stages, such as Broadway’s The Lion King directed by master puppet designer Julie Taymor.
One of the remarkable things about Mummenschanz is that founder Floriana Frassetto — at almost 74 years old — continues to perform, meeting the strenuous physical demands like a dancer or an athlete. As you enjoy today’s performance, marvel at her lifetime accomplishment.
Gratefully,
Thor Steingraber
Executive and Artistic Director,
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Stomp is an electrifying experience for audiences of all ages. The troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments — matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps — to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. Year after year, audiences worldwide keep coming back for more of this pulse-pounding show.
MUMMENSCHANZ
Mummenschanz was founded in Paris in 1972 and has been a global touchstone for contemporary mask-based theater that transcends cultures and linguistic boundaries. The theater company’s three founders — Floriana Frassetto, Andres Bossard, and Bernie Schürch — conquered the world without saying a single word, using a purely visual language of unsupported masks against a black background. As Mummenschanz, they carved out a new niche in the performing arts. With Bossard’s passing in 1992 and Schürch’s retirement in 2012, Frassetto remains as the main artistic driving force behind the multi-award-winning troupe.
To mark the foundation’s anniversary, Frassetto has devised a production that will take the public on a 50-year journey through the fascinating world of Mummenschanz. It will look at the most popular, successful productions of years gone by, featuring legendary characters such as the Clay Masks and the Toilet Paper Faces. 50 Years will also see appearances by the delicate, air-filled Giants, the Pipe Creature, and plenty of other bizarre objects and shapes brought to life by the troupe’s five performers. The production will also include sketches featuring surprising new forms and characters that capture the signature Mummenschanz spirit.
This is an anniversary production without words or music. An imaginative, poetic journey that needs no subtitles. 50 Years takes audiences on a magical, captivating two-hour journey through the infinite, yet familiar, world of imagination conjured by Mummenschanz. 50 Years is a playful, interactive experience for all generations.
PRODUCTION STAFF
Artistic Director | Floriana Frassetto
Technical Director/Lighting Design | Eric Sauge
Tour Manager | Kelly Irwin
Producer | Marc Reinhardt
A production of Mummenschanz Foundation, Altstätten, Switzerland
FLORIANA FRASSETTO
Floriana Frassetto studied at Academia Alessandro Fersen in Rome from 1967 to 1969. She completed her training as an actress while attending a school for mime and acrobatics at Roy Bosier’s Teatro Studio. She then worked with the company of Bosier in several school productions that toured Italy.
In late 1970, the idea of founding Mummenschanz resulted from meeting Andres Bossard and Bernie Schürch, two young Swiss clowns called “Before and Lost” who performed a partially spoken show. Frassetto became the third member of the new company in 1972, and together they co-created the repertoire of Mummenschanz, converting the spoken numbers to masked visuals.
Frassetto has performed on tour for the last 52 years. She considers herself an artisan of fantasy and has always been motivated to construct new shapes. After Schürch’s departure in 2012, Frassetto felt the challenge of creating a new show. Thanks to a collaboration with Tina Kronis and Richard Alger, Frassetto introduced new ideas and sketches.
Other notable experiences include: the choreography and costumes for Giancarlo Sbragia’s Faust; André Heller’s musical Body and Soul; and an artistic collaboration with Isabelle Baudet for the children’s musical Oliver Twist in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Frassetto is the artistic director of Mummenschanz.
TESS BURLA
Tess Burla was born in 1981 and grew up in Murten, Switzerland. After completing her studies in psychomotor therapy, she trained as a dancer in Barcelona, Spain, and Berlin. In 2009, she completed a master’s in dance education at Zurich University of the Arts.
She has been a member of Cie Chapeau (and formerly Paula fliegt) since 2015. She gained experience working with Marcel Leemann, and as part of Brigitta Schrepferʼs Somafon, human kinetics movements arts, and Collectif de Marchepied.
Burla works as a freelance dancer and is a founding member of Cie Deux Plus. In addition to dance performances in collaboration with live musicians (Simone Abplanalp and Ursula Hofmann), she also made an appearance as part of the clown duo Nasva and Ravu in 2018.
Burla’s journey with Mummenschanz began in 2019.
CHRISTA BARRETT
Christa Barrett was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, in 1990. At the age of 17, she joined the Zirkus Chnopfand and the Cirque de Loin for three years. Following this, she entered the Accademia Teatro Dimitri in Verscio, Switzerland. During her studies, she won the physical theater studentship award from Migros Kulturprozent twice.
In 2014, Barrett received her bachelor’s in physical theater. Since then, she has worked with different theater companies including: Poyo Furioso, directed by Hermes Gaido; Fiorenza Ensemble, directed by Eveline Ratering; and Commedia Origen Festival, directed by Fabrizio Pestilli.
Barrett has been a member of the Mummenschanz company since summer 2016.
OLIVER PFULG
Oliver Pfulg grew up in Hombrechtikon, Switzerland. After his initial education as a draftsman, he attended the physical theater school Comart in Zurich for three years, where he graduated in 2010.
Since then, he has had different engagements: a. o Opera House Zürich, Flowing Dance Company, and Märli Musical Theater. Pfulg is also a founding member of the street theater group Paula fliegt. In 2015, he created a play with Lena Wälly called Apropos.
Pfulg has been a member of Mummenschanz since May 2015.
SAMUEL MÜLLER
Samuel Müller grew up in Ticino and Bern, Switzerland. From 2004 to 2007, he pursued a bachelor’s in physical theatre at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri in Verscio, Switzerland. In 2010, he began his master’s studies at the Accademia Teatro Dimitri, which he finished with his thesis “Backwoodsman.”
In 2014, he performed his play at the International Theatre Festival of Theatre Schools in Rome, winning the Gemini d'oro for best performer. Since 2014, he has been touring with the family project “Dimitrigenerations” with Famiglia Dimitri. He performed in various theater and opera productions in Italy and abroad.
In 2022 and 2023, he performed in the play Block by the theater Madame Bissegger.
Müller has been a member of Mummenschanz since 2023.
You Belong Here
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Beyond the benefits, Members drive our mission to present the highest caliber artists who captivate, inspire, and transport our audiences. Here, Members are part of a growing community of arts lovers connected by the joy of shared human experience. Here, Members belong.
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An Interview With Floriana Frassetto
About Us
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is an award-winning, 1,700-seat theater that opened in 2011 and was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers. In 2017, a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian dubbed the venue The Soraya (formerly the Valley Performing Arts Center). A vibrant performance program has served to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and its 1.8 million residents, and further establish The Soraya as one of the top arts companies in Southern California.
The Soraya’s 2024-25 Season boldly advances the immersive sound of big orchestras; the free flow of jazz; an array of dance; and a cultural bounty drawn from the well of world traditions. The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating, excelling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA’s many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work from the Los Angeles region as well as artists from around the world.
Located on the vibrant campus of the California State University, Northridge, The Soraya and the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication share an integral link that enhances student opportunities in the arts and performing arts. This partnership fosters academic opportunity and artistic excellence, elevating the talents of CSUN’s students.
A $5 million contribution from record producer and former California Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb was pivotal in ensuring The Soraya was completed and opened in 2011. For his founding support and in acknowledgment of the integral relationship between the Mike Curb College and The Soraya, Curb is recognized as one of The Soraya’s Cornerstone Benefactors. The relationship between The Soraya and the Mike Curb College continues to grow, with robust offerings for students through master classes, student tickets, concerts of student ensembles, and students appearing alongside renowned artists, such as Wynton Marsalis, Aida Cuevas, and Martha Graham Dance Company.