Who is Ricco?

Monodrama from Slawek Bendrat

During the first lockdown in 2020, the co-director of Pink Mama Theatre Sławek Bendrat took a walk through Bern. On the side of the road he found an intriguing illustrated book dedicated to the artist Ricco.

The story of this artist’s complicated, tragic life and work inspired Bendrat to prepare a monodrama: “Who is Ricco?” However, this is not meant to be a biographical piece about Ricco Wassmer. “Who is Ricco?” is rather a performance piece that raises an urgent question: who is the contemporary artist in his time?

Oscar Wilde wrote: “The artist is the creator of true beauty. His aim is to conceal himself by revealing art. No artist is guided by ethical preferences. Ethical preferences of an artist are an unforgivable distortion of style.” And Stanislaw Witkacy added: “The artist must be absolutely sincere. What he feels and how he feels it at the moment when an image arises in his head – he must express it without any reservation, without any deviation, with all spontaneous ruthlessness – cynically and naively,” Witkacy wrote.

Are art and theater still a place where talent counts, where there are no taboos and where we can talk about the most difficult and controversial issues?

Casts and credits

Idea/concept/stage direction/scenogrphy/costumes: Sławek Bendrat, Dominik Krawiecki
Choreography and performance: Sławek Bendrat
Direction: Dominik Krawiecki
Text: Paweł Bednarek, Dominik Krawiecki

Music: Valentin Markus Oppermann

Photos, Videos, Trailer: Patrycja Płanik
Lightdesign: Aleksandr Prowaliński.

Production Manager: Angelika Rohrer

Coproduction: Tojo Theater, Reitschule Bern

Premiere: 09.12.2021 Tojo Theater Reitschule Bern

This production is sponsered by: Kultur Stadt Bern, Swisslos Kultur Kanton Bern, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Migros Aare, Burgergemeinde Bern, GVB, Fonds Respect