So weit waren wir schon einmal

**Hero: Why did they come up with me?**

**Author: Why not? The play must have some hero. It must be about something.**

An evening of theatre with unpublished and little-known texts by Mani Matter commemorates the Bernese chansonnier, who was born 90 years ago and died much too early. A collage of theatre scenes, chansons and texts leads into his playful world of thoughts – clever, philosophical and with mischievous wit.

Published texts and premieres bear witness to the fantasy and wordplay of the poet Mani Matter, who also devoted himself to the absurd, dialectical and existentialist in keeping with his time. His themes revolve around writing itself, timeless social games are designed and played out, it is always a conscious entry into the art world of the theatre – serving it and then leaving it again.
In the piece, Mani Matter's points of view are represented by various characters who recur in his lyrics and songs: the author, the citizen, the hero and the ghost. The evening moves with relish between philosophy and nonsense, between drama and situational comedy, and thus repeatedly flashes the author's mischievousness.

**Who is Who**

Mani Matter (born 1936, died 1972) is one of Switzerland's best-known singer-songwriters. With his Bernese German chansons, he shaped local cabaret and is still known today for his fine, philosophical wit. His songs are part of the canon of Swiss music and continue to inspire artists to create numerous new interpretations to this day. In addition to his musical work, he studied law, lectured at the University of Bern in the fields of constitutional and administrative law and worked, among other things, as a legal consultant for the city of Bern.

Meret Matter studied acting at the Conservatory of Music and Theatre Bern and founded Club 111 in 1989 with Grazia Pergoletti and Ruth Schwegler. She works as a director, author and singer and realises plays, music theatre and interdisciplinary projects at houses and festivals at home and abroad. Her work includes productions for the Schauspielhaus Zürich, the Luzerner Theater and the Theater Chur, among others; his most recent works are "Jeeps", "Helvetia bockt!", "DieWERsieTÄT" and "Föhnrausch". Meret Matter is the daughter of Joy and Mani Matter.