WOYZECK

The main character of Büchner’s dramatic fragment is a victim of his circumstances: poor, isolated, under financial pressure as the father of a child, and, as a soldier, at the mercy of the authority of a captain and a doctor. He’s supposed to be a fighter, a provider, a man—and in doing so, he transforms from victim to perpetrator, becoming a jealous murderer of his lover Marie, who has the least to do with any of it.

But does this model hold up? Where does subordination take place today, where does radicalization occur, and where is masculinity found? A modern Woyzeck—one who drifts, who seeks virtual authority in online men’s forums and pickup artist courses, who allows himself to be fed images of masculinity and protein shakes by a professor. One who desperately longs for closeness and yet actively detaches himself from his humanity, piece by piece. One who becomes a perpetrator because it’s easier to hurt than to be vulnerable. Where is there room for Marie in all this? Hasn’t she long since left this story behind?

In his adaptation, director Brian Bell examines the dramatic fragment for its contemporary relevance, exploring masculinity, loneliness, tenderness, and violence. Every person is an abyss—and the abyss stares back.