«Songs of the Wayfarer»
Claire Cunningham

In this new solo Claire Cunningham asks what it is to wander? To seek to scale great heights? What can be learned from those of us who reach for the ground through crutches as 4-legged creatures, the choreography of crip* navigation and the maps we would re-draw? Of scale and time and energy? What it means to keep going and, importantly, the wisdom to know when to turn back. 

Led by her lived-experience as a disabled person, her memory of training as a classical singer, knowledge drawn from the world of mountaineering, and Gustav Mahler’s «Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen», Claire Cunningham sets out to traverse known and unfamiliar landscapes. Through a crip* lens, Cunningham invites us to pay closer attention to the ways we navigate the physical world, alongside profound loss and change in our lives. 

*Crip is a political and cultural identity embraced by some disabled individuals. 

Information on accessibility and language

• Content Note: The performance discusses grief and loss. Here you will find information and contact points on the subject of death and grief.

• The performance takes place in English spoken language with songs in German spoken language.

• Both shows will have German and English captions embedded creatively into the stage design.

• The show on 7. November will be translated into Swiss German Sign Language (DSGS) by a Deaf Interpreter (Kristina Janković) together with a DSGS-Translator (Regula Bächler).

• A pre-recorded audio description via headphones is available at all performance dates. You can choose between German or English. Additionally, there will be a pre-show touch tour at 7:00 pm.

• If you would like to be picked up at a local transport station to attend the event, please contact: barrierefreiheit@gessnerallee.ch

• The show takes place as a Relaxed Performance. Audience members can leave the space and come back in at all times. Noises, movements and stimming from the audience are explicitly welcome. Additionally, Claire Cunningham will introduce the sound and lighting states at the beginning of the show.

• A chill-out space with beanbags, sound protection and stim toys will be available at Nordflügel before, during and after the performance.

• If you need additional access information, please come to our Access Infopoint in the foyer staffed from 7 pm until the start of the show. Here you can also find the sensory story for the performance.