RÄUBER VON SCHILLER

Schiller caused a sensation in 1782 with the premiere of *The Robbers*, in which he explored the self-destruction of a family.

A contemporary witness reported: “The theatre was like a madhouse – rolling eyes, clenched fists, hoarse cries from the audience. Strangers fell into each other’s arms, sobbing.” Schiller was threatened with imprisonment in a fortress and was forced to flee.

A quarter of a millennium later, against the backdrop of their own family histories, two actors retell this story of security, love, selfishness and freedom – a tale from Germany, from a time when Germany did not yet exist.

How much explosive power does this once-controversial material still hold today? How has our world changed since *The Robbers* was first written? What changes when the surname ‘von Moor’ is changed to ‘von Deutschland’? Is a character like Amalia still playable today, and if so, could she be played by two men?