Richard is ugly and detested. Thanks to several murders that he committed for his brother Edward during the War of the Roses, Edward is now king. For Richard, however, the end of the war has not brought peace. His hatred of society runs too deep. And so he continues to do what he does best and continues to commit murder. His goal: the crown. If he is not allowed to join society, he wants to at least govern it. Power-hungry and in cold blood, he eliminates anyone who gets in his way. He is aware of how easily people can be manipulated and he puts this knowledge to use – clear-sighted, insincere, seductive. This symbiosis of moral unscrupulousness and both intellectual and verbal dominance is the reason why he not only fascinates his hangers-on and his enemies, but also the audience.
The author, director and film maker Michel Decar will endeavour an adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous villain. His works have received numerous distinctions (including the Kleist Advancement Award and the Brüder-Grimm-Prize) and his plays have been presented at more than 50 theatres, both in Germany and abroad. Michel Decar and director Matthias Rippert have worked together since their student days. Two pieces of the author-duo NolteDecar were staged by Rippert during that time: Maggie T and Der Volkshai. The latter production received the Award of the Körber-Stiftung Junge Regie.
Director Matthias Rippert has worked at theatres including Deutsches Theater Berlin, Burgtheater Vienna, Residenztheater Munich, Saarländisches Staatstheater, Landestheater Linz and Staatstheater Braunschweig. At Schauspiel Hannover, he has staged Nackt über Berlin by Axel Ranisch and Monte Rosa by Teresa Dopler, which was invited to Mülheimer Theatertage Stücke.