Richard III. - Premiere

Shakespeare's "Richard III.", first performed around 1593, was one of the playwright's greatest successes even during his lifetime. The title character continues to fascinate - its power lies in a ruthlessly focused, openly displayed amorality. Richard is the first in a line of Shakespearean villains whose virtuosic art of manipulation captivates audiences. In European theatre history, Richard's physical "deformity" became a symbol of moral corruption - an equation of disability with malice that has been deeply inscribed in cultural memory.

The production at RambaZamba Theatre radically challenges this attribution. Working with writer Antigone Akgün, Shakespeare's text is rewritten: Richard appears not as a "demonic tyrant" but as someone whose path to power emerges from experiences of marginalization, mockery, and structural ableism - uncompromisingly, brilliantly, relentlessly. Director Julia Wissert focuses on the political dimensions: Who has access to power? Who is allowed to be visible? What violence does a society create when it constantly devalues its outsiders?

The text version by Wissert and Akgün moves between Shakespearean rhythm and contemporary exaggeration, making anger, wit, and resistance tangible in the dialogue. The diverse bodies and voices of the RambaZamba Theatre actors create a resonant space where norm and deviation are continually renegotiated.