A ship, a castle, a car and a horse. For us as children, the playground is a small world all of our own. Designed for sheer fun, for physical exercise and as a stageset for vivid fantasies, the playground infrastructure in melancholic ground goes beyond its usual function. 14 performers from different generations cavort on the rocking horse and the slide; their movements are executed extremely slowly, in a halting flow; or, dressed in plush costumes, they offer themselves as toys for the others to play on. For her new work, Doris Uhlich, one of Austria’s most internationally acclaimed choreographers, explores the feeling of melancholy. Rather than leading to isolation, melancholic ground allows this state to be experienced collectively. In the absurd Disneyland laid out between climbing frames and sand pits, subtle resistance is offered against the dictates of productivity and the standardisation of bodies.