Singing to tackle the housing crisis

Editor Sandra Smolcic

Follow Sandra

Between housing woes and barbecues, chants and champagne glasses: the Sogar Theater brings Zurich’s housing crisis to a place where, for once, it can be met with a laugh – the stage.

No sooner had the dress rehearsal finished than the champagne corks were popping. There were no major slip-ups, and the nerves had long since given way to eager anticipation. Yes, the atmosphere on the eve of the premiere of "Are you still looking, or have you found somewhere to live yet?" couldn’t be better. The reason for the clinking of glasses, however, is quite another: actor Carlo received confirmation of a flat two days earlier. “My first permanent contract! I just had to celebrate that with the choir.”

If there is a god of house hunting, he seems to have a soft spot for irony – and a knack for good timing. At least in this case. Most people are probably more familiar with his capricious, miserly and arbitrary side. Hardly any other topic is debated more heatedly in opinion columns and canteens than the issues surrounding the big W. Not having an opinion on the housing crisis in Zurich? That’s actually impossible.

It was almost a breeze for the management team and directors of the Sogar Theatre to put together the cast for the new play: a spoken-word ensemble of tenants who give a voice to the facts and figures surrounding the housing crisis. Numerous amateur actors responded to the call for participants; a dozen stayed on after an initial meet-and-greet, the youngest aged 11, the oldest 78. Almost all of them live in the neighbourhood themselves – and have their own stories to tell about rent hikes, housing shortages and evictions. For director Ursina Greuel, it was therefore a given that the performers’ personal stories should also be woven into the play. Take, for example, 11-year-old Nivin, who lives in one of the Sugus buildings. Even though her own home isn’t affected by the eviction, the events have left her angry and distressed. “It’s just so unfair”, the Year 6 pupil exclaims indignantly. For Carlo, the theatre rehearsals were a kind of “group therapy for the housing crisis”, as he remarks with a laugh. In five years in Zurich, the 30-year-old has moved five times, going from one fixed-term tenancy to the next. At some point, the architect turned his constant search into a game and had a cap embroidered with the words “Looking for a room”. Friends can rent it. “A capitalist parody project.”

At a time when the vacancy rate in the city of Zurich stands at just 0.07 per cent, perseverance and keeping a close eye on property listings may well be the most important levers for securing a tenancy agreement. At least as valuable: humour. Even at the Sogar Theatre, you’re allowed to smile and laugh – both during the performance and at the barbecue afterwards. In the end, it’s not just about housing frustration, but about the sausage. The veggie cervelat is included in the ticket price. And with it comes the chance to chat with fellow tenants, both on and off stage, about the housing madness after the final curtain call. Coming together and sticking together – that’s what the creators of the Sogar Theatre want to make possible too.

So what is the solution to get out of this crisis? For Carlo, it’s quite clear: “Go and vote on 14 June. One ‘yes’ and two ‘no’s’.”