Theater Chur

In June 2019, Roman Weishaupt became the first theatre professional from Graubünden to be appointed director of Theater Chur. From August 2020 to July 2024, he led the theatre as its executive and artistic director.
His tenure began amid the difficult circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Weishaupt kept the theatre operational under constantly changing conditions, safeguarded jobs and steadily rebuilt its audience following the closures. At the same time, he modernised its organisational and digital structures and strengthened Theater Chur as an open space for encounters.
Through a combination of in-house productions and national and international guest performances, he positioned Theater Chur as a venue that was both locally rooted and cosmopolitan. He expanded its cultural education and outreach programmes for young people and schools, opened the theatre to the local neighbourhood through family brunches and intensified its collaboration with other theatre institutions in the city.
The theatre magazine ‘PROSPECT’, which he initiated, was published twice each season and provided journalistic context for the programme. With two editions of ‘DigiDays – Theatre and Digitality’, Theater Chur also made an impact beyond Switzerland.
In this way, Roman Weishaupt further developed Theater Chur’s long-established profile as a contemporary cultural institution and strengthened the connection between regional roots and international exchange.

Alongside the interdisciplinary programme of guest performances, Roman Weishaupt initiated and oversaw in-house productions and co-productions that brought regional perspectives into dialogue with international artistic positions. At their heart were the exchange between artists, stories and experiences, as well as the encounter with the audience. A selection:

2023/2024

DEVID STRIESOW LIEST DAVID FOSTER WALLACE
Reading with Devid Striesow · Director: Thorsten Lensing · Production: Theater Chur · Swiss premiere

RUUCH ODER RIICH
A co-production exploring the question ‘Graubünden, how are you today?’ · Text and direction: Georg Scharegg

I HAN RECHT
a multilingual classroom play about law and justice · Text and direction: Daniel Kuschewski · Dramaturgy and theatre education: Petra Fischer · In-house production by Theater Chur

VERRÜCKT NACH TROST
With Ursina Lardi, Devid Striesow, Sebastian Blomberg and André Jung · Text and direction: Thorsten Lensing · A co-production by the Salzburg Festival and Thorsten Lensing with Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Sophiensæle Berlin, Kampnagel Hamburg, Theater Chur, asphalt Festival Düsseldorf, Theater im Pumpenhaus Münster and Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt am Main · Swiss premiere at Theater Chur

KILROY – EINE OPER OHNE OPER
Season opening · Co-production with Ensemble ö! and Oblivia, Finland · Artistic director: Davin Sonton Caflisch

2022 and 2023

DIGIDAYS – THEATRE AND DIGITALITY
Two editions of a four-day festival featuring a curated international programme of guest performances devoted to digital formats and their artistic use

2022/2023

PEIDEN
A theatre piece developed with and performed by Bruno Cathomas · Co-writer: Roman Weishaupt · Director: Rafael Sanchez · Set design: Duri Bischoff · Lighting: Carlos Marquerie · In-house production by Theater Chur · Shortlisted for the Schweizer Theatertreffen

2021/2022

SONGS OF THE LAND
An intercontinental collaboration between musicians from Graubünden led by guitarist and artistic director Simon Ambühl, Bern-based historian Manuel Menrath, and members of the Cree from the territory now known as Canada, including Chief Mike Metatawabin · Season opening · Co-production

2020/2021

WHITE RABBIT, RED RABBIT
By Nassim Soleimanpour · Performances in all language regions of the canton of Graubünden with local actors · First performance in Romansh

LA MÜDADA
A multilingual, participatory season opening based on Cla Biert’s novel ‘La müdada / Die Wende’ · Director: Uta Plate · Dramaturgy: Stefan Bläske · Set design: Duri Bischoff · In-house production by Theater Chur