Synopsis

Kohlhaas, A Festive Discussion on the Idea of Revolution is a work based on the novel Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist. The show is a mockumentary that questions the continuity of the current political system and ponders whether a violent revolution is a good option to change the world. Kohlhaas is an honest horse trader who has been abused by the powers that are supposed to protect him. Determined to take justice into his own hands, he becomes the head of a small revolutionary army determined to end systemic corruption and influence peddling through the use of violence. How long can we hold on before taking up arms?

The project

Kohlhaas, A Festive Discussion on the Idea of Revolution is a stage docudrama that attempts to delve into the extreme ambiguity of Hans Kohlhase, a 16th-century royal figure who was later fictionalized by Heinrich von Kleist in his novel Michael Kohlhaas and turned into the archetype of men who fight to enforce natural justice against corruption through violent revolution. Is it fair to start an armed revolution in the face of an injustice that the State refuses to make right? Is it lawful to take up arms against a system that works through nepotism and influence peddling? How long can a man or a woman put up with this unfair situation before following the now famous Latin phrase "Fiat justitia et pereat mundus" ("Let justice be done, though the heavens fall")? Like the actors in La Chinoise (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967), aware that they have no clear answers to this kind of question (so valid given our modern-day situation), the members of the company decide to put on a show, putting themselves in Michael Kohlhaas' shoes and those of his entourage in order to better understand the actions and attitudes of the character. And, in turn, to be able to reflect on the cyclical process of History, which has left so many corpses after multiple political revolutions (whether failed or not).
Through an audiovisual collage, partly performed live on stage and partly pre.recorded, Kohlhaas tries to present different points of view and materials in order to better understand the character and his revolutionary action, and turn this investigation into a broader reflection on the historical processes that occur in moments of impasse or paradigm shift. Is Michael Kohlhaas seditious? A rebel? A guerrilla? Or a political terrorist? The live performance (two cameras on stage) combines dramatized scenes from Kleist's Michael Kohlhaas, fictionalised interviews with its protagonists, personal anecdotes from the actors, opinions from different experts that attempt to shed more light on the personality of the protagonist (these range from a group of recreational horse riding fans to a psychiatrist, via a professor of Constitutional Law), and different songs and hymns associated with the idea of revolution...
The scenic docudrama employs all these materials to approach the figure of Kohlhaas from many different angles and to maintain the necessary distance between fiction and reality in order to allow both performers and spectators to reflect on the idea of revolution without falling into univocal or dogmatic speech. At the same time, the device employed by Kohlhaas intends to bring about the emotional involvement of the spectators in the protagonist's armed revolt. Thus, for example, the central part of the show recreates a small uprising in real time outside the theatre which is broadcast live inside it.

Credits

KOHLHAAS
A Festive Discussion on the Idea of Revolution
Based on Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist
A show by Companyia Ignífuga

Direction: Pau Masaló
Dramaturgy: Pau Masaló
With the collaboration of Carlos Marques-Marcet
Performers: Eduard Autonell, Marina Congost, Júlia Rodón
Light design: Irene Dobón
Scenography construction: Jordi Rodón
Photography: Irena Visa
Thanks to: Teatre Tantarantana team, Joan Vilalta, Víctor Javier Vázquez, Associació Esportiva Eqüestre Els Llampecs del Llémena, La Perla 29, Carla Rovira, Ferran Dordal, Xavier Masaló, Josep Llorà

Duration: 70 minutes
Language: Catalan & Spanish

Kohlhaas premiered as part of El Cicló (Barcelona's independent theatre company season) at the Teatre Tantarantana on 4th March 2016. Later it was awarded funding via the IT Emergents grant and presented at the Grec Festival in Barcelona in the Temporada Alta de Girona.

Reviews

An excellent combination of past and present, theatre and documentary. The Ignífuga Theatre Company has perfected the updating of this fictionalised story. And they do so in a very natural way, showing themselves warts and all. It is a generous and technically complex endeavour.
Jordi Bordes - Recomana.cat

The show is full of discoveries. (It exhibits) the same freedom in the use of scenic and audiovisual languages that the Mexican company, Lagartijas tiradas al sol, have used to dramatize their recent history.
Juan Carlos Olivares – TimeOut

A brilliant, dynamic, and courageous discussion on the idea of revolution. Essential viewing!
Melcior Casals – Núvol.com

With fresh and courageous acting, and an original, multidisciplinary and very modern staging, Ignífuga surprises, takes risks and wins yet again.
Gema Moraleda - Teatre Barcelona

Documentary, cinema, theatre, dubbing, historical conference, social conscience, psychological analysis, fight for justice...? Bringing to the stage an epic 16th-century figure such as Michael Kohlhaas - immortalised in historical fiction by Heinrich von Kleist at the beginning of the 19th century and depicted in the cinema in not one, but two different films (1969 and 2013) - is an immensely worthy feat.
Andreu Sotorra - Recomana.cat

The play is a curious mix between documentary theatre, political essay and humorous satire with a lively rhythm and very effective use of audiovisuals. Its director, Pau Masaló, once again demonstrates his special talent for tackling very deep issues without falling into pedantry.
Iván F. Mula - Teatre Barcelona