Top Dogs

Eight former corporate executives, once at the peak of their careers, become victims of restructuring or bankruptcy and find themselves at the NCC (New Challenge Company), a company focused on professional reintegration. Under the guidance of a dynamic coach, these characters engage in a series of exercises, therapeutic activities, and role-playing games with the obstinate ambition of repositioning themselves in the job market and regaining their former glory.
This play, with its cynical and biting humor, was written in 1996 by the Swiss German-speaking playwright Urs Widmer, based on testimonies from people who were laid off. It explores the alienation of individuals in the workplace, the cult of success and performance in neoliberal society. Michel-Maxime Legault first staged it in 2008 with Théâtre de la Marée Haute during the economic crisis. In light of the impending recession, the director sought to update the text and ground it in the current reality of the job market here and now, while also aiming to make the audience an intimate witness to the actions of these characters overwhelmed by their situation.