Grounding

Below, the runway is crumbling, Campari is being sipped above the clouds. Switzerland remains on course, flying high, while everything else is faltering. The grounding of Swissair becomes a scenic field of research for the survey of the "Switzerland" brand. Their values promise stability and security. But how does this idea of stability feel? What does this security look like and what is the price for it?

The economy has been crumbling for a long time, traditions are clinging to the abyss and Swissness is already in a nosedive. But even in the crash, the stewardess's trained, reassuring smile fits like a glove. She tries to keep an iron calm, even if the system around her has long since disintegrated. She makes her announcements confidently and directs the audience's gaze to the beautiful sea of fog. Only those who look closely can see what an inevitable catastrophe is brewing underneath. How soft can you still land after a fall?

The dramaturge and playwright Sarah Calörtscher, who was born in Ilanz, took part in the Dramenprozessor scholarship programme in Zurich in 2023/24 and won the Kleist Prize for her play "Ein Herz aus Poylester" in spring 2024.

The Compagnie Calörtscher /Durrer /Vollenweider was formed in the spring of 2023, when Melanie Durrer and Sarah Calörtscher realized their first joint full-length production "The Fall of the Comets and the Cosmonauts" by Marina Skalovas as part of Next Step at the Kellertheater Winterthur. Later, Linda Vollenweider and Olivia Ronzani joined the group. With the scenic sketch of the play "Grounding", the company was a finalist in the Swiss competition for young talent Premio.