Der Sturm at Nationaltheater Mannheim

12 years ago Prospero, the legitimate Duke of Milan, was deposed in a coup by his brother Antonio and the King of Naples. He now lives with his daughter Miranda and with his books on an island where he reigns with his magic powers over the elements and over Ariel, spirit of the air, and the monster, Caliban. In order to take revenge on his former enemies, Prospero unleashes a storm and guides the ship on to his island. What kind of storm is this that rages within Prospero, not allowing him to rest until he has taken revenge on his enemies? » Sometimes you just don't want to have to be reminded of anything, so that forgetting covers up all our resentment, our frustration and our woefulness. If there was an opportunity to flee, we would seep through the stones like the flowing dampness of water and would disappear, just as rain showers, hurled into the bosom of Mother Earth, also come to an end. If there was just one person who could only control the storms that are locked away inside our breasts. But that would also mean renouncing human existence.« (Calixto Bieito)

Calixto Bieito, who in Mannheim recently staged Bernarda Albas Haus and Das Leben ein Traum, will combine motifs from Shakespeare's Der Sturm and the music of Henry Purcell, and present these on stage with actors, singers and musicians.