In March 2025, this dance performance about queer football was supposed to premiere at a prestigious theatre in Germany. Then, one week before the premiere, the theatre’s management cancelled it. This came after weeks of discussions about the stage text, which addresses not only queerness and football but also, momentarily, the genocide in Palestine and Germany’s handling of it.

The FC GLORIA club replaces cisgender male football stars with queer, living monsters. These new stars transform this ritual of war we call football, because they rewrite the rules of the game, talk about their feelings, and take responsibility. Since the premiere got cancelled, the stadium in the recording is empty, the stars have no audience. Left behind are the FC GLORIA ultras, a group of hardcore fans who question the power dynamics of the game and refuse to be silenced.

Zentralwäscherei Zürich presents the recording of the performance preceded by a panel talk (in English) about making art in times of censorship, about artistic freedom, political participation, and the pressure that weighs on institutions like Zentralwäscherei and independent artists.

Panel- Talk between Zentralwäscherei Zürich and Jäckie Rydz (Artistic Director, FC GLORIA)

Moderator: Olga Drygas (Curator, Auawirleben Festival, Bern)

Duration Screening: 90 minutes, including a 15-minute halftime break

Language: German with English subtitles / Paneltalk in English