Pierre Naftule

Pierre Philippe Naftule (5 December 1960 – 19 March 2022) was a Swiss writer, producer and theatre director.^[1]

Pierre Naftule
Born	5 December 1960 Versoix, Switzerland
Died	19 March 2022(2022-03-19) (aged 61) Geneva, Switzerland
Nationality	Swiss
Occupation(s)	Writer theatre director

Biography

Naftule's grave at the Cimetière des Rois in Geneva. The tombstone bears the inscription:

« IL NOUS AURA BIEN FAIT RIRE, MAIS PAS CETTE FOIS. » ("HE WOULD HAVE MADE US LAUGH, BUT NOT THIS TIME.")

Naftule was descended from Romanian ancestry.^[2] He became well known to French-speaking audiences during his time on the game show La Course autour du monde [fr], broadcast on Antenne 2 [fr]. When he returned to Switzerland, he staged three shows alongside his friend Pascal Bernheim: Le Père Noël est une ordure, Topaze, and Les dix petits nègres.^[3] After creating his own stage production studio, he took over as director of Revue genevoise [fr] until 1995.^[4] Alongside Thierry Meury [fr] and Bernheim, he led Revue genevoise two more times.

In 1995, Naftule founded the show production company Yaka Production SA alongside Alain Monnet and Gérard Mermet.^[5] He created the character Marie-Thérèse Poget née Bertholet for Revue genevoise with Joseph Gorgoni [fr], which became Marie-Thérèse Porchet [fr].^[6] The character's first show, La truie est en moi was produced in 1996.^[7] He also collaborated with Laurent Deshusses [fr] and worked alongside Yann Lambiel [fr].^[8] He was the agent of Thomas Wiesel [fr].^[9] In 2018, he co-founded the Nouvelle revue de Lausanne.^[10]

During the 2010s, Naftule suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.^[11] He died in Geneva on 19 March 2022 at the age of 61.^[12]