Hamlet: R2D2_OR_NOT_2B2 is a contemporary version of Shakespeare’s famous work, set in the present day. We see a dozen robots take over the theatre: a colourful mix of intelligent vacuum cleaners, bionic quadrupeds and androids in an existential crisis. In an interpretation that is as witty as it is confrontational, the robots attempt to reconstruct the world‑famous play like shards of a broken vase. They try to lose themselves in their roles, but at the same time hyper‑self‑consciously reflect on the theatrical forms they deploy, while through the iconic characters they explore what it means to be human.

Just as Hamlet once stood on the threshold between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, so De Warme Winkel today stands on the transition towards a digital era. Is this world‑famous play, in the acclaimed intelligent style of De Warme Winkel and in a very free adaptation, once again capable of interpreting a major shift? Will our current worldview, like that of the Middle Ages at the time, soon prove to be completely outdated?

With Hamlet: R2D2_OR_NOT_2B2, De Warme Winkel brings a timeless and confronting story to the Schouwburg Tilburg. The theatre company has previously been praised for its intertwining of modern issues with iconic productions. With Hamlet: R2D2_OR_NOT_2B2 the group has already caused a sensation in Germany.

• concept & text Rosie Sommers, Ward Weemhoff & Marieke de Zwaan direction Bianca van der Schoot performance Byeongsu Lim, Rosie Sommers, Ward Weemhoff, Marieke de Zwaan e.a.