Physical Theater Artist Martin Zimmermann Brings HALLO to BAM Tonight

Physical theater artist Martin Zimmermann mounts a one-man battle with an animate architecture in HALLO, making its U.S. premiere at BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St), tonight, October 15, through October 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Swiss choreographer, scenographer, and consummate clown Martin Zimmermann returns to BAM with HALLO, his first solo show in a 20-year career. This unique physical theater piece is infused with Zimmermann's trademark black humor, absurdist sentiments, and unexpected twists.

With concept, direction, choreography, and stage design by Martin Zimmermann, the production is composed by Colin Vallon and features dramaturgy by Sabine Geistlich, costume design by Franziska Born, light design by Sammy Marchina, and sound design by Andy Neresheimer.

Somewhere between Beckett and Buster Keaton, Hallo pits a fearlessly nimble human against animate architecture, teetering on the threshold between order and collapse. Alternately attired in a trench coat, helmet, bowler, and shroud, while periodically stopping to vacuum, Zimmermann breaks walls and breaches skylights as his surroundings remodel themselves in sculptural echoes of his mind.

Zimmermann, who first appeared at BAM with Dimitri de Perrot in Hans was Heiri (2013 Next Wave), flies solo for the first time in Hallo, a work he describes as "a self-portrait without complaisance." In explaining his love for physical theater, he says, "I try to present the poetry of circus in the universe of the theater. The artisanal feeling of circus and its ancient tradition are what fascinate me. I like its do-it-yourselfness and its fragilities."

Martin Zimmermann was born in 1970 and grew up in Wildberg, a small Swiss village. After studying set design he graduated with honors from the Centre National des Arts du Cirque (C.N.A.C.) in France. Following his return to Zurich in 1998 he began to work as a choreographer and director. He is a co-founder of Zimmermann & de Perrot (Hans was Heiri, 2013 Next Wave), a theater company whose shows are based on precise observation, humorous repetition, distortion, and artistic transformation of everyday interactions. Their wordless theater is full of absurd humor and a deep love of captivating details.

Coproduced with Châteauvallon - Centre National de Création et Diffusion Culturelles; Espace Jean Legendre, Compiegne - Scène nationale de l'Oise en prefiguration; KVS - Koninklijke Vlaamse Schouwburg; La Filature, Scène nationale - Mulhouse; Le Merlan, scène nationale à Marseille avec le Pôle Cirque Méditerranée (CREAC de Marseille, Théâtre Europe, La Seyne sur Mer); Le Volcan, Scène nationale du Havre; Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg; Maillon, Théâtre de Strasbourg - Scène européenne; Migros culture percentage; Theater Casino Zug; Théâtre de la Ville, Paris; Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne; Zürcher Theater Spektakel. With support of Ernst Göhner Stiftung. Thanks to Schauspielhaus Zürich. Final rehearsal and premiere at Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne.

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Greenlight Bookstore at BAM kiosks. BAM Fisher, located at 321 Ashland Place, is the newest addition to the BAM campus and houses the Judith and Alan Fishman Space and Rita K. Hillman Studio. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming. BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, offers a dinner menu prior to BAM Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday and Saturday nights with a bar menu available starting at 6pm.

For ticket information, call BAM Ticket Services at 718.636.4100, or visit BAM.org.

Photo: Augustin Rebetez

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