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.

This classic comedy weaves together four interconnected plots across a single magical night in an enchanted Athenian forest. The story follows four young lovers fleeing into the woods to escape forced marriages, a troupe of amateur actors rehearsing a play, and a royal feud between the fairy King Oberon and Queen Titania. Mischief peaks when the trickster sprite Puck administers a love potion that causes everyone to fall in love with the wrong person, including an amateur actor who has been transformed into a donkey.

Midsummer remains one of Shakespeare's most frequently performed works, celebrated for its exploration of love's absurdity and its festive, dreamlike atmosphere. Major modern landmarks include Peter Brook’s radical 1970 white-box production for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Nicholas Hytner’s immersive 2019 production at the Bridge Theatre in London.

Since its 1990 premiere, this gothic musical has captivated audiences with its exploration of the dual nature of man. Dr. Henry Jekyll’s quest to chemically separate "good" from "evil" backfires, giving birth to the murderous Edward Hyde and terrorizing the streets of Victorian London. It is a sweeping, romantic, and tragic exploration of the monsters we create when we try to play God.

The musical originally premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, in 1990. It made its Broadway debut at the Plymouth Theatre in 1997, where it ran for over 1,500 performances and received four Tony Award nominations.

Musical theatre sessions will pick up again after both The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals and RENT are cast and once Farragut North has closed.

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.

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 by Monday 8 June. We have a few 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: approx. 5–7 minutes.

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.

Four high school friends reunite one year after graduation on the bleachers of their former football field. Under the guise of a prank to hack the school’s sprinkler system and get back at old bullies, the young men quickly realize how much their paths and identities have diverged. Through a contemporary pop-rock score, the musical captures the anxieties of late adolescence as the characters confront personal revelations and the shifting reality of their once-unbreakable bond.

The show premiered at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, in early 2008, where it received critical acclaim before quickly transferring to Broadway later that spring. It holds a unique spot in theatrical history for closing after only 17 previews and a single official performance at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Despite its brief Broadway run, the musical has developed a cult following and remains frequently produced at regional and international theaters.

When a group of exploited livestock overthrow their abusive human master, they establish their own self-governing society dedicated to liberty, equality, and cooperative labor. However, the idealistic dream of a fair community is steadily dismantled from within as a power-hungry pig named Napoleon eliminates his rivals and takes absolute control. The new ruling elite slowly rewrite the laws of the revolution to justify their own privileges, turning the farm into a chilling dictatorship where all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Originally commissioned and first staged by the National Youth Theatre in 2021, this adaptation received its professional premiere in early 2025 as a major UK co-production by Theatre Royal Stratford East, Leeds Playhouse, and Nottingham Playhouse. It went on to win Best Play Revival at the 2025 UK Theatre Awards and was nominated for an Olivier Award.