Particle physics, family conflicts, and the question of world order: with Lucy Kirkwood's play, the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe looks at people who are searching for their place between scientific progress, personal expectations, and social outsider roles.

Beneath the city of Geneva, scientists are using a particle accelerator to investigate the origins of the universe. The collision of tiny particles is intended to provide insight into the conditions of the Big Bang—but theoretically, it could even create a black hole. One of the leading minds behind the project is Alice, a physicist from England who is following in the footsteps of her ambitious mother, Karen.

While Alice devotes herself to researching the fundamentals of our universe, her sister Jenny leads a completely different life. She distrusts modern medicine, fears the risks of ultrasounds and vaccinations, and feels unable to live up to her mother's expectations. The tensions within the family are further exacerbated by Alice's son Luke, who is suffering from the disappearance of his father and feels alienated in Geneva. When he hacks into his school's parent portal out of frustration and is subsequently suspended, the fragile balance is finally upset.

Lucy Kirkwood's play combines scientific visions with an intense look at family relationships and social fractures. Between highly complex research and personal crises, the drama shows people who have to assert themselves in a world whose order seems increasingly uncertain. Anna Stiepani's production thus creates a multi-layered theatrical evening about progress, responsibility, and those who are marginalized by the system.
Premiere April 17,
Further performances: April 22, May 2 and 22, June 14 and 27, July 7, 10, and 22, 2026