Büchner’s Woyzeck is arguably both the first working-class hero and the first modern play.

A hostage to fortune, class and his sadistic superiors, Woyzeck struggles desperately to make the best of what he has. Stumbling through a world of macabre carnival, sexual betrayal and cruel oppression, pursued by demons invented in his own fantasies, Woyzeck’s fate is expressed through a series of nightmarish encounters. When he finally snaps, Woyzeck destroys the one thing he truly cares for.

Büchner is considered one of the greatest modern dramatists and a leading light in the Theatre of the Absurd. His influence can be seen in the work of writers ranging from Brecht to Sarah Kane. In addition to Woyzeck, which was written at the age of 23, his plays include Danton’s Death, Leonce And Lena, Lenz, The Hessian Messenger an On Cranial Nerves. 

Woyzeck is directed by Gísli Örn Gardarsson, and performed by the highly-acclaimed Icelandic company Vesturport. Vesteurport was last seen in London with their production of Romeo And Juliet, which fused Shakespeare with aerial acrobatics, in 2004.