Course content.
In the minor "Performative Dramaturgies", you will learn to design situations, spaces, interventions, and frameworks for performances in which stories are told, narratives are developed, and history is reinterpreted and rewritten. All media, the arts, and design can become part of and contribute to this work on history. "Performative Dramaturgies" collaborates with various institutions across the city of Zurich, including art spaces, theaters, museums, as well as social or socio-political institutions and initiatives. Inspired by current debates in dramaturgy and decolonial and ecofeminist approaches that understand storytelling as an act of emancipation and as a means of healing historical, ecological, and political wounds and traumas, we realize dramaturgical performances with our partner institutions. These performances challenge dominant discourses and open up planetary, more-than-human perspectives on the world. In the minor "Performative Dramaturgies", you can contribute aspects of your previous artistic, theoretical, and political work, further develop them in a different context, and reflect on them against the backdrop of contemporary dramaturgical discourses. At the same time, you also have the opportunity to develop a project specifically for the minor and bring it into practice in collaboration with fellow students, lecturers, and partner institutions.

The minor is taught in German and English, offered by the Theatre discipline, and is open to both Bachelor’s and Master’s students. It is offered on an alternating basis and is open to all departments.

Skills acquired in the course.
–  Getting to know current discourses in dramaturgy with regard to their political backgrounds
–  Dramaturgical reflection on one's own artistic and design practice
–  Designing situations, spaces, and frameworks for performances in which stories are told and history is reinterpreted and rewritten
–  Developing and realizing a collaborative project with a partner institution

Admissions requirements.
–  Willingness to develop and implement a project together with other students

Language skills required.
The following language skills are required for participation in this minor:
–  German: to follow a discussion
–  German or English: to actively participate in oral exchanges
–  German: to understand a text
–  German or English: to write a text

Benefits of studying at ZHdK.
–  Realizing your own project in collaboration with practice partners
–  Learning and applying dramaturgical methods on a multimedia level that engage with various arts and design
–  Translating current political debates into narrative patterns and stories
–  Making underrepresented voices visible and audible using artistic methods and design techniques

→ More information about this minor (PDF download)

At ZHdK, students choose a Major. In addition to this core subject, they can choose one or two Minors to deepen or expand their major skills and knowledge across various disciplines. This wide choice of courses is unique in Europe and enables students to develop and sharpen their individual profile.