Arts, Music & Theatre

As varied as a colour palette: Visual Arts at the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz means more than classic drawing and painting. Installation, sculpture, costume design, photography & video are just some of the options completing our wide range of offers. Music and theatre offer further opportunities for students to show their talents and express themselves creatively, individually or in groups. Standing on stage with friends as part of the choir, orchestra or school band is fun and balances out a demanding school routine. At the same time, the necessary discipline and courage to be open is a lesson for life.

Zuoz Globe

500 years after Gian Travers, the Zuoz Globe revives the old theatre culture of Zuoz. The Zuoz Globe is an original stage construction which fits seamlessly into the oldest part of the Lyceum Alpinum. Made from local larch, it is a flexible theatre space which alludes to and is a fresh interpretation of Shakespeare’s Globe.

Far more than a school facility, the Zuoz Globe is a magnet for the entire cultural life of the region. This architectural gem is the ideal setting for all kinds of events, conferences, concerts and performances: it has a central stage of 30m2 and seats an audience of 99 on three sides – an open, flexible, inspiring space with state-of-the-art infrastructure, a generously-proportioned foyer with food and beverage service on request. Whatever your creative project, the Zuoz Globe provides an adaptable and atmospheric venue.

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Theatre at Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz

Head of Theatre

Ivo Bärtsch has been responsible for the fortunes of the Zuoz Globe” theatre at the LAZ as theatre director for ten years. Bärtsch comes from Chur, is a trained dancer and a graduate of the John Neumeier Ballet School in Hamburg. He worked for 10 years as a soloist and choreographic assistant at the Nuremberg State Theatre and later as a freelance choreographer, director, performer and workshop leader in Germany, France, Japan and Switzerland. In the Engadin, he has performed in productions by the Origen Festival Cultural, Ressort K. and Läser & Bärtsch TanzTheater.

IBDP subject theatre

The Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz is offering the IBDP group 6 subject theatre at standard and higher level.

The IBDP theatre course is designed to encourage students to examine theatre in the full diversity of its forms from around the world. This may be achieved through a critical study of the theory, history and culture of theatre. It finds expression through workshopping, devised work or scripted performance.

At the core of the theatre course, lies a concern with clarity of understanding, critical thinking, reflective analysis, effective involvement and imaginative synthesis.

Ivo Bärtsch is responsible for the productions of the Shakespeare Company and the English Theatre Company, the performances at Zuoz Globe as well as the IBDP subject Theatre.

Shakespeare Company

Passion for the theatre is the driving force behind the Shakespeare Company, the Lyceum Alpinum’s theatre group, which focuses on the work of William Shakespeare. Under the direction of Ivo Bärtsch, the young actors learn to give their roles a voice, presence, emotion and depth – hard work, but an experience they will benefit from all their lives. Ivo Bärtsch was appointed as successor to Giovanni Netzer who established and directed the company for ten years.

The Shakespeare Company at the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz staged its first production with Macbeth” in 2006 and in doing so established its own new unmistakable theatrical style by interpreting and re-inventing the works of the greatest dramatist of all time. It draws on a range of dramatic possibilities such as movement, language, song and, one day perhaps, even dance. However, one thing remains clear: Shakespeare is not an easy dramatist. But intense work with the text, sophisticated dramaturgy and a new interpretation of old material combine to give the performers an insight into the process of staging a production. And it goes almost without saying that Shakespeare fits ideally with the English traditions of the Lyceum Alpinum Zuoz.

English Theatre Company

The English Theatre Company of the Lyceum Alpinum had its premiere in 2012 with a production of Lord of the Flies”. Ivo Bärtsch, Head of Drama, is the group’s director. He is the successor to Selina Gasser who directed the company for three years. While the Shakespeare Company is more for the German-speaking students, the English Theatre Company offers the opportunity for students in the international department to discover the art of stage-acting and to take on the challenge of approaching some of the great classics of English literature. The actors get the unique chance to explore world-famous characters such as the outsider Piggy or the dominating Jack, and to make them come alive in their personal interpretation.