Reproduced from CREAM Magazine with additional photos from the Presenation after a special Gala performance of Blithe Spirit to celebrate our 50th Jubilee in November 2004. Written by Paul Bilton

More than Comedy,
More than a Club.

The Zurich Comedy Club has been entertaining theatre audiences for 50 years. The Club fills every one of its 450 seats for four weeks a year. Unlike most art forms, it receives no subsidies. This is the Club's Golden Jubilee year and we thought we should find out more.

Noel Coward's words, often supercilious, sometimes glib, but always clever will be delighting audiences in the Theater im Seefeld this month as the Zurich Comedy Club performs "Blithe Spirit", billed as an improbable farce. It was 50 years ago in the autumn of 1954 that eight enthusiastic British Consulate staff met with the idea of putting on a play – in English, in Zurich. The play was "Quiet Weekend", by Esther McCracken and it was eventually performed in the Theater Neumarkt in March 1955.

Those original eight risked their own money in the venture. Fortunately the play was a hit and that was the start of the Zurich Comedy Club. A lot has changed since then including the meaning of 'Comedy Club' itself. Fifty years ago the concept of stand-up comedy did not exist, so with the idea of performing light comedy plays, the name Zurich Comedy Club was chosen. Today the membership has increased to over 120 and encompasses not only British by any means, but Americans, Canadians, Australians and a number of other countries, including Switzerland. United by their love of theatre and the English language in its many forms, one thing that has not changed is their enthusiasm.

The Zurich Comedy Club is always pleased to meet potential new members and they advise anyone interested to first check what is happening on Monday 'Club' evenings on their website, then go and pay them a visit. Activities in November are limited because of the production of 'Blithe Spirit'.

While many other 'expat clubs' are finding their membership dwindling, the Zurich Comedy Club (ZCC) finds itself with a larger and more active membership than any time in its 50 year history. "First off, we are not an expat club," explains ZCC president Terry Menard "we are a theatre club – a group of people primarily interested in the theatre. Quite a number of our members are Swiss. Not expatriates at all!

"We give anyone with enthusiasm and commitment full support. We invest in our members, sending at least four people a year to week-long courses in the UK to study acting, lighting, sound and stage management. We run our own courses too, over weekends inviting experts in their field from Britain. In addition to our regular weekly meetings, we have monthly 'improvisation' evenings too."

It is the Comedy Club's long experience and 'knowledge management' that is one of the keys to its success. "We are not professionals" admits Terry Menard "so we make sure we cover all the bases. A production is not embarked upon without an experienced director – a Club member of course. Only when we are certain that we have the cast we require do we start. Then it's the 'three Rs' – rehearse, rehearse and rehearse. We are fortunate to have built up a pool of talented people over the years: set designers, set builders, props, sound, lighting – you name it we have someone who can do it, and do it well."

Over 100 Plays
Producing at least two major productions every year for 50 years mean the ZCC have brought over 100 productions to the Zurich stage covering a wide range of subjects and genres. From Pantomime to Pygmalion; comedies like Oscar Wilde's 'The Importance of being Earnest' and 'Educating Rita' as well as drama like 'Amadeus' and Shakespeare's 'Much Ado about Nothing' - even two separate productions of Eve Ensler's controversial 'The Vagina Monologues'.

"When we choose a play, we firstly think what we would like to do, then about what we can do." Explains Terry again. "Yes, of course we consider our audience, who by the way are on average 60% non-native English speakers. But in the final analysis we are doing this for ourselves. A policy that has proved to be highly successful over the years! The principle is simple: if we enjoy performing, our audiences see our enjoyment and so enjoy watching."

Another reason for the ZCC’s success may be that, just as Swiss audiences demand movies in their original language, so the English-language theatre brings out the original subtleties and feelings of a play that are often lost in translation. The ZCC treads a thin line between amateur and professional theatre. The audiences know that they are not watching professionals and can perhaps more easily relate to a play performed by people who have day jobs. Day jobs or not, the ZCC continually strives to maintain and improve its standards.

No Stars
"There are no stars in the ZCC!" recounts Club publicity manager Paul Bilton. "I remember the first time I was involved in a Comedy Club production, soon after I joined only five years ago. As always everything had to be out of the theatre on the night of the last performance. When the lights go up and the audience has left, we start working. I too stayed to help break the set. To my surprise the cast, who had not an hour before been performing on that stage, had removed their makeup and costumes and in their jeans with hammer and drill in hand helped with the rest of us until all was done in the early hours of the next morning.”
In 2002, the Max Geilinger-Stiftung presented their prestigious award to the Zurich Comedy Club. Max Geilinger (1884-1948) was a Swiss author. His wife was English, and they shared a passion for all things English, particularly the English language. Previous recipients of this award include authors, professors and researchers into the English language. The award has been presented only 12 times since 1969 for the promotion of the English language in Switzerland. Among the reason for selection of the ZCC the Max Geilinger award committee said "The Zurich Comedy Club doesn't play in the background of our society, but rather plays an important role on the cultural landscape. The Zurich Comedy Club has secured a firm place in the cultural life of the city of Zurich and has stamped its influence on the development of the literary and cultural connections between Switzerland and the Anglo-Saxon world in a refreshing way".
Terry again: "It was wonderful to be recognised and rewarded for doing something that we enjoy so much and be useful at the same time."

No Sponsors
The ZCC does not have any sponsors or subsidies because they do not need them and this gives the Club a great deal of independence. Terry explains: "Our secret weapon is that we do not pay our members for their work. We do have considerable overheads, but we usually cover our costs and can still keep our ticket prices very reasonable."
So what happens to the ZCC's ‘excess funds’? Every year Zurich Comedy Club members suggest charities that they might support. The Club supports various charities both in Switzerland and worldwide. Remarkably they have donated over a quarter of a million francs to charity, most of this in the last twenty years.

Photo Captions [Top to Bottom]:

1) ZCC President Terry Menard

2) Master of ceremonies Michael Rutman [left] and the Club's first ever President, Lois Lees

3) Representing the Town of Zurich, Herr Nicolas Bärlocher

4) British Ambassador, Mr Simon Featherstone