The Summit

05 Feb '26 to 07 Feb '26

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne / Christoph Marthaler (CH)

In Christoph Marthaler’s new production, the six main characters find themselves in an undefined refuge atop a mountain. Each speaking a different language, their uncertainty mirrors that of the outside world. The music theatre features singing individuals who have lost their way and discover exactly what they weren’t looking for. Humor and music take care of the rest.

Festival Brandhaarden

Location ITA
Duration 120 minutes

Genre Musical Theatre
Languages English, French, German, and Italian
Subtitles English and Dutch
The Bookshop Aftertalk

The Summit

In this new production, Christoph Marthaler places “creating together” at the forefront. This has always been a more or less underlying or explicit theme in his plays: observing how people organize themselves, for better or worse, while the past offers only minimal or even burdensome energy, and the future exerts only a faint pull, with no discernible prospects. No convincing progress, no decisive revolution; no soothing continuity, no clear disruption. The protagonists must survive with what they have in an empty present, and they reveal themselves as they are: idiosyncratic and tender, melancholic and cruel.

In French, English, German, and Italian, the word “summit” refers both to an important meeting and a mountaintop. It is both an organization and a destination. This ambiguity emphasizes the uncertainty of the “summit.”

-|- In The Summit, the actors come from various European countries and cultures, speaking different languages—French, Italian, German, and probably a bit of English. As a result, it’s not entirely certain that they fully understand one another. This political-cultural gathering reflects both Switzerland, the director’s homeland, and Europe itself. The Summit is not exactly the story, or even the depiction, of these political organizations, but that is where the production finds its roots. It is not an observation, but a possible form of our present, of our time: when we must search for unity or common ground amid the greatest diversity, when we no longer know what lies between stubborn authoritarianism and radical relativism.

Perhaps then we discover that people are connected in other ways. This may only emerge in the silences and sometimes in the melodies, or it may be heard in the words that are missing, rather than in those that are spoken.

Christoph Marthaler

Christoph Marthaler was born in 1951 in Erlenbach near Zurich. He studied music (recorder and oboe) in Zurich and later enrolled at Jacques Lecoq’s theatre school in Paris. Initially, he worked as a musician, but soon began creating his own music theatre projects. In 1980, he presented "Indeed" in Zurich, followed by the Eric Satie project "Blanc et Immobile" in 1983.

From 1988 to 1993, he was affiliated with Theater Basel (under artistic director Frank Baumbauer), where he honed his approach to developing total concepts. It was there that he met scenographer Anna Viebrock, with whom he began a close collaboration in 1991. From 1993 onward, they worked regularly for the Berliner Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and the Hamburger Schauspielhaus.

His international breakthrough came in 1993 with "Murx den Europäer! Murx ihn!...Murx ihn ab". Marthaler ventured into opera in 1994, directing productions such as "Pelléas et Mélisande", "Fidelio", and "Le Nozze di Figaro". From 1997 to 2004, he served as artistic director of the Schauspielhaus Zurich. Since then, he has worked as a guest director for major opera and theatre venues across Europe.

6 February at 21:45 - The Bookshop

Aftertalk

After The Summit, the creators will engage in a conversation with the audience. Together, we will reflect on what it means to create collectively in a time when shared experience is no longer a given. How did you experience the encounter between languages, cultures, and perspectives? What does this performance reveal about the ways people organize, connect—or pass each other by?

This post-show talk offers space to ask questions, share thoughts, and pause to consider the power of misunderstandings, silences, and unexpected encounters. A moment to search together for meaning in a world that is constantly changing.

Please note: this conversation will be held in English.

Brandhaarden

Brandhaarden is an international theatre festival that brings productions by remarkable theatre makers from abroad to Amsterdam. The festival offers a unique focus on one artist, company, writer, region, or theme. This year, we shine the spotlight on Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, a house at the intersection of individual experience and collective concerns. It creates a space where today’s global themes resonate, are shared, and questioned. In a world that is increasingly polarized, Théâtre Vidy manages to touch a nerve and sharpen the audience’s critical gaze.

In previous editions, we highlighted directors such as Katie Mitchell, Milo Rau, and the collective Rimini Protokoll; writer Édouard Louis; the Southern European region (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece); and city theatres like Münchner Kammerspiele, Volksbühne Berlin, and Peter Brook’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.