Theatre Clubs at Zürich International School (ZIS)

Two after-school clubs, Mondays and Tuesdays, starting 7 September 2026. Registration closes Sunday 23 August.

Theatre gives children a space to explore who they are, how they feel, and how they express themselves. In a bilingual English–German setting, they play, imagine, move and create together — without pressure and without anyone having to be good at it first.

Kindergarten – Grade 2

Tuesdays, 15:20–16:20
8 September – 17 November 2026
9 sessions · CHF 225 (9 × CHF 25)
8–15 children

Grades 3–5

Mondays, 15:20–16:20
7 September – 16 November 2026
9 sessions · CHF 225 (9 × CHF 25)
8–15 children

How the year works

The Fall Season is a trial. Ten weeks to find out whether theatre is your child’s thing. No commitment beyond that, and no expectation that anyone continues.

Winter and Spring are the project. Children who carry on after Fall sign up for both seasons together, because that is when the group builds something — and a group that changes every ten weeks cannot. Each club ends the Spring Season by sharing what it has made with families.

You decide in November. Nothing is decided now.

No performance in Fall — on purpose

A performance costs about three of the nine sessions: one to rehearse, one for the dress rehearsal, one for the show itself. In a season where the children are still finding their footing, that’s a third of the time spent preparing to be watched rather than playing. So we don’t. Fall is for playing, trying things out and building a group. The performance comes at the end of the year, when there is time to make it good.

Kindergarten–Grade 2 | Tuesdays

A playful introduction to theatre through stories, movement and imagination. Younger children discover theatre through games, movement, roles, emotions, music and guided dramatic play. There is nothing to memorise and no one has to perform. What we practise instead is expressing yourself, trusting your own ideas, and doing something together with the other children. In the Fall Season, children get to know the group and explore the basics through play. If they continue, the Winter and Spring Seasons develop into a playful theatre journey built from stories, characters and movement — not a scripted play, but a small shared theatre moment for families, shaped around what this particular group has explored.

Grades 3–5 | Mondays

Storytelling, teamwork and stage confidence through theatre and improvisation.

Children explore acting, storytelling, movement, voice and improvisation — and along the way, they learn to listen, react, work with each other, and stand in front of a room without wanting to disappear.

In the Fall Season, we focus on theatre basics, group building and stage confidence. No auditions.

If they continue, the group rehearses a theatre piece for families across Winter and Spring. The play is chosen later, once I know the children — their interests and what actually suits them matters more than a title picked in advance.

What makes these clubs special?

Children are encouraged to express themselves in their own way
Creativity and imagination come before correctness
Listening, empathy and cooperation grow through play, not instruction
Every child is welcome — quiet, energetic, dreamy or bold

About me

I’m Julian Lehnhardt, an educator, ADHD coach and theatre practitioner with more than 15 years of experience working with children in Germany, Chile, Panama and Switzerland. My work combines the freedom of jeux dramatiques with selected elements of theatre pedagogy. I create spaces where children can explore their own ideas, emotions and stories through play, movement and creative interaction — without pressure or rigid expectations.

Fall Season dates

Tuesdays (KG–Grade 2): 8, 15, 22, 29 September · 6, 27 October · 3, 10, 17 November
Mondays (Grades 3–5): 7, 14, 21, 28 September · 5, 26 October · 2, 9, 16 November
School holidays and PD days are already excluded. Clubs finish at 16:20 in time for ATAC transport.

Secure your child’s place

Registration closes Sunday 23 August 2026. Each club runs with a minimum of 8 children; if we don’t reach that, you’ll hear from me by 25 August and the fee is refunded in full.