Richard III.

Shakespeare's Richard III., first performed around 1593, was already one of the playwright's most successful works during his lifetime. The title character continues to fascinate - not least because of his ruthless, brazenly displayed amorality. In European theatre history, Richard's physical "deformity" became a symbol of moral corruption, an equation of disability with malice that has deeply embedded itself in cultural memory.

The production at RambaZamba Theatre challenges precisely these attributions. Working with author Antigone Akgün, Shakespeare's text is rewritten: Richard appears not as a "demonic tyrant," but as someone whose rise to power emerges from experiences of exclusion, mockery, and structural ableism - uncompromisingly, brilliantly, relentlessly. Director Julia Wissert focuses on the political questions beneath: 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 adaptation by Wissert and Akgün moves between Shakespearean rhythm and contemporary exaggeration, making anger, wit, and resistance palpable in the dialogue. The diverse bodies and voices of RambaZamba Theatre's actors create a space where norm and deviation are continually renegotiated.