Arnold & Komarov Wandertheater

The works of Trixa Arnold and Ilya Komarov are characterized by an explicitly accessible approach as well as a poetically pleasurable approach to socially relevant topics. Even heavy subject matter comes across unpretentiously in their works. They work from the conviction that the political also manifests itself in everyday life and actions. Currently, they work with oral traditions and memories, which they collect, condense and stage into specific themes. Music is an important component of all their productions. They pursue their artistic path with consistency and continuity, with their works spanning diverse, different formats, and depending on the project, they also collaborate with other theater professionals.

Their production partners in Zurich are the Fabriktheater Rote Fabrik and the Kulturhaus Helferei. Since their last production “Schäm dich!” (Shame on you!), they have been researching the traveling theater format in depth and have performed at various venues, including public ones. They are widely networked and regularly perform abroad, most recently as a group selected by Pro Helvetia for the Swiss Selection Edinburgh 2022. For the years 2024 / 2025 their productions are supported by Stadt Zürich Kultur with a concept contribution.

Arnold / Komarov have been working together since 1992. In the 90s they toured Europe’s punk, pop and jazz clubs as a duo, Trixa Arnold on drums, Ilya Komarov on bass, both on microphone. After a two-year scholarship stay in St. Petersburg, they moved to Zurich in 2003, where they have since been active in the theater and dance scene and also compose music for films. Close and long-standing collaborations connect the two with Marisa Godoy, Kraut_produktion, Massimo Furlan, Corsin Gaudenz and Annas Kollektiv, among others.

In their joint artistic projects, Trixa Arnold takes on the function of director or dramaturge and also appears on stage as a musician. Dramaturgically she accompanied projects of artists like Ariane Andereggen and Theater Sgaramusch. As a DJesse she put on records in old people’s homes and is on the road with her performance “Every record is a good record”.

Ilja Komarov composes the music for the joint projects and is on stage as a musician and actor. After studying double bass at the Tallinn Academy of Music in the early 1990s, he was hired as a musician and actor at the Russian Drama Theater in Tallinn. After that, he toured the world intensively for 15 years with the Russian band Ne Zhdali. Since 2014 he also works in his own practice as a teacher of AlexanderTechnik.