The Robbers of Hearts (Die Räuber der Herzen)

The Robbers are gangsters. The betray their ideals, which are to stand up for the poor and oppressed, and they steal gold and horses instead, they take freely from civilization and nature. In his first play, in a social structure that has got out of control, Friedrich Schiller confronts the arbitrariness of the state and addresses ‘evil’, searching for tipping points in which fundamental values such as freedom, justice and respect are betrayed.

In his adaptation of the play, Bonn Park is interested in a utopia, a feeling we long for, a cut between the past and the present, in which beauty and new ideas replace bad-temperedness. Schiller’s figures are united by the desire to know themselves and, in the happy-end version, to know who they could be: the better Robbers. These Robbers shine, they are friendlier than ever, and only commit the right crimes. They let others finish their sentences, respect the people who are never respected, and hunt down those who refuse to live in flawless magic.

The guest performance is made possible by the friendly support of the Ilse and Dr. Horst Rusch-Stiftung.