My first time ... at Central Uster

A show about the election

The day is special. The early parliamentary elections are taking place in Germany. Given the current global political situation, the outcome is also of interest beyond the country's borders. In keeping with this, Central is presenting the event "Münchner Geschichten - der grosse Kanton wählt" (Munich stories - the big canton votes) and promises a cosy and tongue-in-cheek exploration of the German national psyche.

It's certainly cosy. The theatre hall has been transformed into a Bavarian pub. Pretzels, white sausages and wheat beer are included in the ticket and the rustic beer tent atmosphere inevitably leads to lively conversations with the people sitting around.

The show turns out to be a great political satire. Biting analyses from the pens of greats such as Gerhard Polt, Karl Valentin and Loriot alternate with the most bizarre contributions from the German Bundestag. The evening ends with the voting results on TV. Fortunately, there are no nasty surprises and so the audience sits together for a while and chats about theatre, the programme and the election results.

A breath of fresh air

The new management team at Central, Sarah Brusis, Simon Brusis and Miro Maurer, are not only the hosts of the evening, but also contributors. This is also part of the new concept. As the three of them have been making theatre together successfully and worth seeing for years as the "Präsidentenbalkon" collective, it makes sense to include their own productions in the programme alongside guest performances.

The change in management last summer is just one of many changes, however. The "Kulturgemeinschaft Uster", which had been in charge since 2015, was dissolved and the new supporting association, which has the same name as the venue "Central Uster", chose the trio with the intention of bringing a breath of fresh air to the programme and structures. There is a spirit of optimism.

Cultural hotspot?

The influence of this mood on event planning is palpable. An exciting programme is being developed and there are already new things to discover: Various cabaret stage projects, cabaret, quiz shows and, of course, theatre.

The new management is particularly keen to expand the children's and youth theatre. And there's music too, of course. I can recommend the monthly concert series "Admiral James' Choice" with a clear conscience, as it is curated by one of the most unique and best Swiss musicians, David Langhard aka Admiral James T.

The intended development towards openness and encounters is underpinned by the cultural get-together "Nashornrunde". Interested parties are cordially invited to brunch and socialise and have the opportunity to get to know the team and the establishment.

It seems that nothing less than a cultural hotspot is growing up in the Zurich Oberland. The new self-built bar is already in place and makes the foyer very inviting. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops.