Photos: In Rehearsals for KOHLHAAS, Premiering at Brighton Festival 

Rehearsal images are released  for the world premiere of Kohlhaas, the opening event of the 60th Edition of Brighton Festival and its first ever original theatre production, directed by Omar Elerian (Rhinoceros, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, The Chairs) starring three-time Olivier nominee Arinzé Kene (Get Up Stand Up, Girl From The North Country, Death of A Salesman). This contemporary adaptation of Heinrich von Kleist’s 1810 novella Michael Kohlhaas, about the consequences of injustice and the psychology of protest and resistance, is especially created for Brighton Dome's Corn Exchange where it runs from 1 to 5 May with press night on 2 May.

Kohlhaas reunites Kene with Elerian in their first one-man show since the Olivier Award-nominated West End hit Misty. It is adapted by pioneering Italian playwrights, Marco Baliani and Remo Rostagno, translated by Omar Elerian with Lighting and Smoke Effects Design by Jackie Shemesh, Installation and Costume Design by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, and Composition and Sound Design by Matthew Herbert.

‘If a man can break the circle of the world for just two horses, then it means that that circle can be broken at any moment...’

Kohlhaas tells the story of a 16th century German horse dealer who seeks redress after a local Baron tricks him out of his two most beautiful horses. When met with corruption and indifference, a principled demand for fairness spirals into an uncompromising quest for justice, with violent and far-reaching consequences. 

Established in the late 1960s, Brighton Festival is the largest of its kind and a major event in the international arts calendar. This year’s 60th Edition runs from 1-25 May and celebrates the city as a hub for cultural innovation, collaboration and artistic experimentation.