120 IDIOTS
A selfless sacrifice. For a better world.
TRANSLATION Martina Lisa
DIRECTION Evy Schubert (DE)
DRAMATURGY Emil Rothermel
MUSIC Carl-John Hoffmann (DE)
SCENIC DESIGN Petr Vítek
COSTUMES Tereza Kopecká
POSTER Terezie Chlíbcová
PHOTO Patrik Borecký
STARRING Tereza Hof, Antonie Rašilovová, Lucie Roznětínská, Hynek Chmelař, Václav Marhold
PREMIERE 23. 5. 2025
"Since I was born, I've been asking myself: How can we change the world? Do you feel the same way?"
We know we're in a crisis—a deep, overwhelming, boundless and paralysing crisis. We know there are many crises, each different and devastating. We know the crises are huge, and we can't stop them. So how do we face this despair? What room for action does this reality still allow? 120 idiots attempt the impossible: they are trying to save the world. Like droplets on a café window, they come together to confront hopelessness. They push past fear and dare to be optimistic. They believe that their sacrifice can open up new possibilities, where future dreams might come true.
Inspired by the legend of the 120 oxen that St. Wenceslas is said to have sent to the Germans to preserve peace, we are propelled through the playful and linguistically layered text of German director and multimedia artist Eva Schubert straight into the unsettling, disjointed imagery of our times. Pop art juxtaposed with the Bible, an ox juxtaposed with a martyr. What kind of persuasion and labour is needed to change the world? Is everything at stake? Right now? Do we mean well or are we just idiots? Or was it all just a piece of theatre?
The production is part of the Czech-German theatre diptych 120 Idiots/120 Ochsen, created by the Theatre X10 in collaboration with the independent Leipzig-based theatre Schaubühne Lindenfels. Drawing inspiration from the legend of St. Wenceslas, which is linked to the origins of Czech statehood, and the complex interpretations of Czech-German relations, the project gave rise to two original texts that spark a vibrant cross-border dialogue. The Theatre X10 presents 120 Idiots, directed by its author Evy Schubert, while the Schaubühne Lindenfels stages 120 Ochsen ., directed by the Theatre X10 artistic director Ondřej Štefaňák. An ancient tale of regional conflict became a powerful metaphor for broader processes and contemporary thinking in Europe today.
