Giving to the world through acting.
Jacqueline Fritschi - Cornaz is an actress and the road for her has been both long and short.

From Tobias Humm
Oberrieden. Her first performance at the age of six was as a member of the children’s ballet ensemble from Oberrieden. She played a rat and wore an extremely itchy costume that made it very difficult for her to see her fellow actors as well as the audience. But the moment she stepped onto the stage, she was overcome with joy. It was this joy that carried her through the difficulties of both her life as an actress and her everyday life and gave her the confidence to reach out and connect to the people in the audience. From that point on she knew that her life would be dedicated to the stage.

But first a “real” job

To our meeting at the pier of Oberrieden she shows up in a light, Indian dress which in one light shows her slim, flexible body while at the same time emits a veil of amiguity. Under her arm she carries a lime - green stuffed crocodile like a mascot, a prop from her latest theater production. Her appearance is elegant, her face carefully made up, her brown hair is tamed. But when a west breeze messes with her hair, the
46 year old shows her wild but vulnerable side.
Even though she herself knew that her life belongs to the stage, she allowed her parents to talk her into a bourgouis profession, but only because the teacher seminar in Unterstrass, where she studied, had a specific focus on artistic skills. During her
spare time she performed in various roles at the “Freunden des Volkstheaters” in Wädenswil and at the “Theater Thalwil.” Theater and ballet remained her passion, even after working for four years as a primary school teacher.
Five godchildren
When she became certain that her wish for having children would not be fullfilled she remembered her childhood dream to live a life on stage. She had to find answers to the urgent questions about the meaning of life without having her own children. To be the godmother/godfather of five children together with her husband fills her with deep satisfaction.
Since she was rejected by the Schauspielacademie because of her age, in 1997 she started a 3 year training program at the Mahagi
- Schauspielstudio in Basel. After that she kept educating herself through workshops with famous actors like Klaus Maria Brandauer and John Costopoulos. In these trainings she was always encouraged to search for her own expression and to find authentic interpretations. The belief in her work gives her strength to endure the long nightly hours of work. “ Theater is a social tool with which I want to carry something out into the world”

Lots of work, lots of roles

Since 2003 she has been a memeber of the Brandauer Ingenuus Ensemble, which provides a platform for twelve members to build a
network and exchange ideas. Since then she has had the chance to portray different roles in a variety of stage productions from the devil in Ödon von Horvath’s “Himmelwärts” to the cornett in Carl Millöcker’s operette “Der Bettelstundent”. Her career also brought her to Cologne and Berlin and along with theater she has played in films and, for making money, in commercials. Since 2004 she has toured trough the country with a self written play, “ Ibicaba und Crevetten”. A play she was contracted for about the emigration of Switzerland in the 19th century. Her latest project is called “In der Bar zum Krokodil” and is a collage of ballads and musical songs in which she not only acts but also shows her talent as a singer and a dancer.

Roots in Oberrieden

During my conversation with Jacqueline Fritschi - Cornaz she comes across as very alert. She talks fast in a manner that is very easy to print. If, during the flow of speech, a high German word comes in, she changes the tonation as well into high German.
Her roots and homeland is in Oberrieden, where she lived a happy childhood together with two sisters. It is where she lives with her husband and it is where she always enjoys returning to after her professional bound travels. She feels connected to the
lake and she often learns her lines on steam boat trips around the lake of Zürich. Acting for her is a profession, not a job. Each role requires a deep surrender to the character. “I have to know what this character means to me and what part of the character I have
within myself.” She has great respect for the work of Isabelle Huppert or Juliette Binoche, who always research the character with all the depth of their soul. One actor she would love to work with is Bruno Ganz. And if Fredi Murer (“Höhenfeuer”) would
offer her a part, she would be on cloud nine.

Text in der Box:

Jacqueline Fritschi -  Cornaz (46) made her stage debut at the age of six. But the primary school teacher didn’t take the first step into professional until the age of 35. She has played serious and funny parts on various stages and has been a part of many different film producions. Fritschi - Cornaz is married and lives in Oberrieden where she also grew up. She learns her text preferably on the lake of Zürich. Her latest project (from 2008) is
called, “In der Bar zum Krokodil”.

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