The End of the West

Description

Swiss premiere Globalization, Baby! Iconic Sex-and-the-City looks, Viva and MTV, finally the new album of the favorite band on sale: the feeling before the turn of the millennium won't let us go. The world still seemed okay, the great vision of a better future awaited us. But the promises have not been fulfilled. The hope for a better world is not only over but has crashed against the wall. Instead of shared values, there is geopolitical fragmentation and powerlessness, trade conflicts, war – instead of future euphoria, the coming generations grow up in fear of the future. We watch wars on screens. And while the internet and technology were once seen as promises, today there is surveillance, loss of control, job insecurity, and disinformation. And so Sascha works in a Russian troll factory. Or as her employer would put it: she writes as an author for the great hit series of our time: "The End of the West." And that begins much earlier. In a living room from the 90s, someone switches on the TV. Is the embedding into familiar information bubbles already flickering? While the series runs on the TV, something gradually dissolves between the screen and the plush cushion. Something lurks there between security and threat, between familiarity and irritation. And there is still this autobiography of a politician lying around, the radio reports an attack in a theater. But everyone just wants to have a good time, especially now, when liberalism celebrates its global victory and consumption can become an identity. Based on comprehensive research, author Lars Werner has written a narrative stage play about the structure and prehistory of today's disinformation. Director Fynn Malte Schmidt stages an evening between pop culture and politics. "The End of the West" digs through the rubble of the Cold War for the origins of our fragile societies. An extraordinary evening of political thriller, fairy tale, and great entertainment. Maybe everything is closer to us than we thought. "The End of the West" is a piece that shocks, makes aesthetic fun, awakens you due to its pace, and relentlessly raises questions: What is real here, what is true, what do my clicks do, what facts even form the truth, and what can I still believe in this overly complex present?" (Linus Baur, seniorweb) Participants and additional information: Featuring: Sofia Borsani, Janna Rottmann, Stefanie Steffen, Fredy Goldschmid, Balts Berger Speaker: Martin Bonvicini Text: Lars Werner Director: Fynn Malte Schmidt Concept: Fynn Malte Schmidt, Stefanie Steffen Dramaturgy: Anna Bertram Stage: Elisabeth Fritsch Costume: Lenki Behm Music: Salomé Käsemodel, David Bircher Video: Jana Schlegel Assistant director: Andrea Uhl Technical: Patrick Meury, Paul Schuler