Zurich English-Speaking Theatre (ZEST) - Your Community for English Theatre in Zurich

Come and explore the fun of improvisation in a welcoming and supportive environment! Whether you're a seasoned performer or a curious beginner, our Improv Workshops are the perfect, low-pressure way to build confidence, think on your feet, and have a lot of laughs. There's no script, no pressure, and no need to prepare anything: just a friendly group ready to play.

Premiering in 2002, this chilling psychological thriller explores the volatile intersection of science and nature. A father is forced to confront the moral consequences of his past when he meets several identical sons he didn’t know existed - the result of a clandestine cloning experiment. Churchill’s lean, experimental script is a haunting meditation on what it truly means to be unique in an age of infinite reproducibility.

Published in 2016, this dark comedy begins when a dinner party between friends takes a sinister turn. A hypothetical conversation about committing the "perfect crime" suddenly feels uncomfortably real as secrets surface and paranoia sets in. Martinez delivers a wickedly sharp script that skewers middle-class pretension and proves that even the best of friends might be capable of a little mayhem.

Following its 2011 Broadway debut, this high-octane musical follows two small-town dreamers who transform into America's most notorious folk heroes during the Great Depression. Driven by a craving for fame and a "ride or die" devotion, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow embark on a law-breaking spree that captivates a desperate nation. It is a sultry, blues-infused exploration of love, desperation, and the dangerous allure of the spotlight.

This event is a wonderful opportunity for new faces to take the Monday stage and for long-time members to return to performing in our usual setting!

Choose a piece that resonates with you and submit your chosen script, scene or monologue to mondays@thezest.ch for approval.

We have still have spaces left!

Please keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Monologues (Memorized): Must be from a published play (no TV or film scripts).
  Duration: 2–4 minutes max.

• Short Scenes (Memorized): Must be from a published play (no TV or film scripts).
  Duration: 5–7 minutes max.
  If you choose a scene with multiple characters, you may bring your own scene partner or ask us to pair you with a fellow reader you haven't worked with before.

• Submission Deadline: Sunday 15 February.

A breakout hit of 2024, this riotous, campy reimagining of history centers on Mary Todd Lincoln in the chaotic weeks leading up to her husband’s assassination. Far from the stoic figure found in textbooks, this Mary is a frustrated cabaret star trapped in the White House, grappling with unrequited dreams and a very distracted "Abe." Escola’s play is a brilliantly absurd comedy that subverts historical drama with razor-sharp wit.

In this 2016 drama, Tracy Letts constructs a poignant portrait of an "ordinary" woman by jumping through different pivotal moments in her life, portrayed by multiple actors. From her childhood in Ohio to her complicated roles as a mother and wife, the play pieces together the fragments of a single existence. It is a quiet, devastatingly beautiful examination of the choices that define us and the hidden depths within a seemingly quiet life.

Come and explore the fun of improvisation in a welcoming and supportive environment! Whether you're a seasoned performer or a curious beginner, our Improv Workshops are the perfect, low-pressure way to build confidence, think on your feet, and have a lot of laughs. There's no script, no pressure, and no need to prepare anything: just a friendly group ready to play.

In this 2014 biting absurdist comedy, Jean-Pierre Martinez deconstructs the monotony of domestic life through a dangerous game of "what if" that spirals rapidly out of control. When a bored couple decides to pass the time by inventing a fictional murder, the line between harmless roleplay and genuine malice begins to blur, exposing the simmering resentments hidden beneath their suburban respectability. It is a sharp, cynical, and fast-paced exploration of the masks we wear in relationships and the unsettling ease with which ordinary people can contemplate the unthinkable.

Since its groundbreaking debut in 1996, RENT has stood as a seminal tribute to the power of community. Set at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City’s East Village, a group of bohemian artists struggles to create, love, and survive under the shadow of poverty. Based loosely on La Bohème, Larson’s rock musical is a vibrant, heartbreaking celebration of "measuring your life in love."

Due to changes in availability at the Theater im Seefeld, our Musical Theatre Session dates and locations for 2026 are not yet known. We will update as soon as possible.

Written in 1996, this play takes us to a remote Irish island in 1934, where the arrival of a Hollywood film crew sends the local community into a frenzy. "Cripple" Billy, a young man yearning for a life beyond the bleakness of Inishmaan, sees the film as his only ticket to escape. McDonagh blends brutal black comedy with deep pathos to create a story about the cruelty of hope and the crushing weight of home.