Don Carlos

performance
An adaptation of the classic tragedy by Friedrich von Schiller. Don Carlos, the crown prince of Spain, and his childhood friend Posa rebel against the political and parental authority of Posa’s father, King Philip. A mix of idealism, hormones, and youthful impatience form the basis of an anarchistic struggle for freedom and justice.

design
A series of old theatre and opera curtains, in various textures and colours, are hung in a row: thick canvas, plastic, glazed fabric, gold foil, etc. After each act, a player tears away one of the curtains, bringing us deeper and deeper into the Spanish court: the scene of the action, full of intrigue and false dominion. The initial stage surface, no more than one metre wide for the first curtain, gradually opens up to include the full space. This continues until the last scenes, in which Carlos is captured: the steel grid on which the curtains had been hanging shockingly and roaringly comes crashing down, and the web again closes around the crown prince.

Nominated for the BNG Bank Nieuwe Theatermakersprijs (Theatremakers Prize) 2016