"You also have to woo an audience"

SW: When you took over as the new director in August 2022, you promised to turn the building into a "cultural hotspot". Have you already achieved this?
UH: Becoming a cultural hotspot is a process, a vision that should be a reality in five years' time. This includes opening our building to a broad, heterogeneous audience and turning it into a lively meeting place. This requires an adaptation of the program. People should recognize the added value of a live theater experience. This includes investing in communication.

SW: Mediation sounds good, but also a bit pedagogical. Can't you just show stage plays that people understand without prior explanations? UH: I admit: the term "mediation" sounds didactic. And yes: stagecraft should speak for itself. But ultimately it's about giving the audience the opportunity to learn more about the creation or background of a production with introductions, workshops and other formats. With first-hand information - from directors, actors, dramaturges, authors - I look at a production differently, perhaps understand it better and ultimately benefit more. Through mediation, we also want to attract new audiences to the theater, i.e. people who have rarely or never found their way to the theater before. You also have to court an audience.

SW: You have been described in the media as a beacon of hope. Is that flattering or does it put you under pressure? UH: Nice question. Being a beacon of hope makes me feel positive and motivated. It doesn't put me under pressure, because it corresponds to my own expectation of making Theater Casino Zug even better known and more popular as a multi-genre venue. This is a matter close to my heart.

SW: There is always a spirit of optimism at the Casino. Artistic directors come and go.
UH (laughs uproariously!): I know about the problem of the many changes in recent times. But I've come to stay and I don't intend to throw in the towel when difficulties arise. I want to do pioneering work and lead Theater Casino Zug into a new future. That may sound pathetic, but it's true. Together with the team, I want to exploit the full potential of the theater. That's why I'm currently engaging very intensively with the city, the canton and the Central Switzerland region and maintaining close contact with local artists. I want to get to know them even better so that I can develop projects together with them. They should be present at the Theater Casino and be able to network nationally or internationally as part of (co-)productions.

SW: Concerts, comedy, drama and dance will continue to play an important role at the casino in the future. What will be new?
UH: New is the "Young Theater" section. We want to bring young people into the casino. We are pursuing the same goal with new offers for school classes. In addition to drama and dance, I would also like to strengthen musical theater, interdisciplinary forms of theater and political cabaret. The Casino should be a place where people don't just consume, but where social issues are discussed: entertainingly, critically, sensually - depending on the format. There should also be room for experimentation without alienating the audience.

SW: You are referring to the Schauspielhaus Zurich, where the audience ran away in droves and no longer felt welcome.
UH: This brings us to the topic of communication. An artistic team should have a great interest in not losing touch with the audience of subscribers. There were excellent productions in Zurich and a new, diverse audience was built up, but the traditional audience was largely lost in the process. This must not happen at Theater Casino Zug. The exchange between audience and performers - whether before or after an event - is a great opportunity.

SW: This probably also includes the new "Heimatklänge" series. Ever since the success of the Swiss Yodelling Festival in Zug, one thing has been clear: traditional music is popular! UH: New folk music has been popular for some time now. Because it is both traditional and contemporary at the same time. I have already realized several projects in this area. Folk music is a particularly big topic in Central Switzerland and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts even offers a degree course in it. We can't simply ignore folk music. I have an ideal partner in Johannes Rühl, who was the artistic director of the Alpentöne festival in Altdorf for a long time, and who is curating the "Heimatklänge" program in Zug. We are starting with a joint event by "Traktorkestar" and "Echo vom Eierstock". The latter is a young, feminist yodel choir from Stans that sings traditional yodel melodies but provocatively adapts the lyrics to the present day.

SW: Zug's self-respecting cultural audience likes to boast that they attend theater and concerts in metropolitan Zurich and not in provincial Zug. Does that annoy you?
UH: Not at all. I also go "abroad", I'm often in Zurich, Lucerne, Basel and elsewhere and get inspiration there. However, it would be a shame if Zug's cultural audience were to leave the Theater Casino behind. After all, we have top-class national and international productions of the same caliber as those shown in Zurich, Lucerne and Basel. It is important that Zug positions itself well between these cities. One possibility is to network even more closely with the Swiss theater scene beyond that. I also see potential here.

SW: Two flags fly on the façade of the Theater Casino: a Swiss flag and a Zug flag. Rather inappropriate for a theater ...
UH: Good tip! It irritated me too. Nothing against these flags, they look festive. But they send out the wrong signal. The Theater Casino is not the seat of Zug's administration or government. We are a cultural institution, and this must be visible from the outside. That's why theater flags will be flying on the façade from September.

SW: Last question: Is a view of the lake actually an advantage for a cultural institution such as the Theater Casino?
UH: Definitely! The view of the lake and mountains from the foyer, ballroom and restaurant is unique. Apart from the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne, a building designed by Max Bill, I know of no other theater in such a sensational location as the Theater Casino Zug. When you step into the foyer after a performance at around 9 p.m. in summer, you can look directly into the sunset. It's magnificent! This is another reason why we want to use the foyer more in future. However, we still need to negotiate with the fire safety authorities.