The Swiss Selection in Avignon: Proven Success and Five New Editions on the Horizon
In 2016, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Commission romande de diffusion des spectacles (CORODIS) established the «Swiss Selection in Avignon» (SCH) to present Swiss theatre productions at the Festival OFF d’Avignon. Evaluated positively after three editions, the programme is set to continue until 2023, with Laurence Perez being reappointed for another three years.
Conceived jointly by Pro Helvetia and CORODIS, the Swiss Selection in Avignon (SCH) offers Swiss artists an opportunity to present their work at Europe’s largest theatre festival and thus to establish contacts and arrange tours in France and elsewhere.
The first three editions of the SCH (2016, 2017 and 2018), under the direction of Laurence Perez, featured performances by Emilie Charriot, François Gremaud, Perrine Valli, Daniel Hellmann, Schick/Gremaud/Pavillon, Yan Duyvendak and Omar Ghayatt, Yasmine Hugonnet, Katy Hernan and Barbara Schlittler, Martin Schick, Tiphanie Bovay-Klameth, Joël Maillard, Philippe Saire, Cindy Van Acker and Christian Lutz, Phil Hayes and playwrights Julie Gilbert and Latifa Djerbi. The SCH has collaborated with recognised OFF venues, but not only: in 2018, for instance, it co-produced a «Sujet à vif» featuring actor Pierre Mifsud together with the Festival d’Avignon (IN) and the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD).
SCH programming has enjoyed wide acclaim. It has attracted considerable media coverage: an average of forty accredited journalists per edition. The festival is attended on average by nearly five hundred professionals, from France and beyond, enabling the invited Swiss artists to be discovered by international theatre and festival directors. The tours resulting from the Swiss presence in Avignon have allowed artists to extend their reputation beyond Switzerland, to access new territories for distribution and to extend the lifespan of their productions. Due to their success in Avignon, Swiss theatre productions are now also attracting increasing attention within the French-speaking world.
Given this positive acclaim, as confirmed by an external evaluation at the end of 2018, Pro Helvetia and CORODIS have decided to pursue their joint venture until 2023. Laurence Perez has been reappointed for another three editions. Pro Helvetia and CORODIS have decided to give her the opportunity to complete her project by managing the 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions. A new director will be appointed in 2021.
Click here for the 2019 programme
For partner venues and institutions, an archive of selected productions and other information: selectionsuisse.ch
Media relations:
Lisa Stadler, Communications
Tel. +41 44 267 71 51, lstadler@prohelvetia.ch
Press release of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and CORODIS (Commission romande de diffusion des spectacles)
11 April 2019
