Discounted tickets for the "kühne Gassenschau"

From a straightforward street variety show in 1984 to an extravagant water show (AKUA, 2002) all the way to a fight over a chocolate factory (2011): over its 30-year history, Karl¡¯s k¨¹hne Gassenschau has established itself as a real highlight of the Swiss cabaret scene.

However, the term ¡°cabaret¡± is something of a misnomer; the ensemble currently includes more than 100 performers specialising in a wild, expansive mixture of theatre, music and acrobatics that relies on heavy equipment and can only be staged outdoors. The current set at an industrial plot in Winterthur covers 48,000 m² and is dominated by a massive, 176-tonne funnel filled with 100,000 litres of water.

A rubbish-strewn utopia

The Gassenschau isn¡¯t just about sound, smoke and slapstick ¨C the performances are also supposed to make audiences think. The troupe always chooses to examine issues relevant to contemporary audiences. The current production is set in an artificially created natural park (Sektor1) in the year 2066, where all waste is dumped into outer space. Out of sight, out of mind ¨C that is, until the protective shield in orbit starts failing, and these apparently wholesome types find themselves once again up to their ears in trash. The utopia, which is in fact a dictatorial regime, is flipped upside down.

Technician, astronaut, bin man

One ETH employee also has a hand in this slapstick show with a philosophical twist. Sandro Tiegermann is Head Lab Technician in the Department of Physics. His expertise in construction, building, assembly and physical calculations played a major part in the technical development of the piece. He can also be seen on-stage in two cameo roles ¨C astronaut and bin man.

Thanks to this link to ETH, ETH members can enjoy a 15-franc discount per ticket for purchases of maximum two tickets for Sektor1 performances from Tuesdays to Thursdays. The offer applies from 18 July to the end of the season on 9 September.