Der Sturm

Following their acclaimed adaptation Moby Dick; or, The Whale at the Schauspielhaus Zürich in 2021, the group Moved by the Motion around Wu Tsang, Tosh Basco, Josh
Johnson and Asma Maroof continue their deep dive into maritime worlds.

Set on a remote island, surrounded only by water, William Shakespeare’s The Tempest tells a tale of language and land, of art, power and mortality. It is believed to be the playwright’s last act, a farewell to the stage before disappearing from the public eye. The main character Prospero, an exiled socerer, is seen as a symbol of Shakespeare himself, using his creative powers to shape and control the world around him.

Moved by the Motion weaves together Shakespeare’s canonical play with elements of sci-fi, satire, and the magic act of theatre itself. In an adaptation by long-time collaborator and writer Sophia Al-Maria, they take us into the near future, where the sea levels have risen to apocalyptic levels – leaving the few remaining humans to confront their humanity.