The performing arts, being rooted in time, are very much of the present. Be it theatre, dance or performance: what was elaborated and rehearsed in the past is recreated at the moment of performance. It can go well or badly, can compel, irritate, entertain the audience or leave it cold. As a festival presenting over 100 productions in 18 days, the Theater Spektakel is a renowned, albeit temporary, platform for contemporary international theatre and dance. The ZKB Patronage Prize, established in 1996 by the Zürcher Kantonalbank and the Theater Spektakel, has given the festival’s transient nature a remarkable expansion into the future. The prize of 30 0000 Swiss Francs is awarded annually to a young, innovative company and is explicitly conceived as a contribution towards a future production.

While festival programming focuses on works created to date, awarding a patronage prize requires the capacity to envision the creative potential of a solo artist or company. By nominating five to seven productions each year, we create a window to the future within the festival while placing special emphasis on promising newcomers. In the past twelve years, the denotation «Nominated for the ZKB Patronage Prize» has become a useful tool in directing the audience’s attention to the works of hitherto little-known artists.

As with weather forecasts, artistic forecasts come with a certain risk and responsibility. That is why this task is entrusted to a panel of experienced and reputable judges each year. While the hit rate of meteorological forecasts is very high in the short-run but sinks rapidly in the long term, a glance at the list of former prize-winners reveals that the jury’s decisions have been confirmed in the long-run. Many of those young

unknowns have since become internationally successful artists and companies.

The Zürcher Kantonalbank and the festival board are pleased to open up yet another window to the future and look forward to glimpsing through it with you.