THE HEART OF A BOXER

A story about hitting rock bottom and getting back up again—about loneliness, courage, and the power of new connections: Jojo and Leo could hardly be more different, yet they become allies in the struggle for a self-determined life.

At first, they are simply two strangers who could not be more different. Jojo is 17 and has neither interest in the community service he must do at the nursing home nor in the elderly man named Leo who lives there. With his taciturn nature, Leo keeps his distance from »today’s youth«—which, in turn, gets on Jojo’s nerves.

Together, they drag themselves through the hours, but little by little Leo begins to open up, impressing Jojo with his past as a professional boxer. From their individual perspectives, they show each other what life is really about: courage, friendship, and self-determination.

This intergenerational dialogue plays with prejudices that gradually turn into common ground. It explores violence as well as love, fear as well as courage, loneliness as well as solidarity. Jojo and Leo become friends—allies who make plans together to start over and take control of their lives again.

Lutz Hübner was born in 1964 in Heilbronn and is known for his extensive and diverse body of plays. His works have been commissioned by some of the most renowned German theaters. Thirty years ago, THE HEART OF A BOXER premiered in Berlin and was awarded the German Youth Literature Prize in 1998. His plays FRAU MÜLLER MUSS WEG and DER HAKEN have also been staged at Theater Bonn. Most of his works are written in collaboration with Sarah Nemitz.

Bene Greiner, born in 1985 in the Allgäu region, studied acting at the University of Music and Theater Hamburg and was a member of the resident ensembles at Schauspiel Frankfurt, Konzert Theater Bern, and Schauspielhaus Graz. Since 2017, he has been working as a freelance actor, voice artist, and director. At the Vorarlberg State Theater, he directed two interactive plays for young audiences. With his theater collective »schöner scheitern« and ROXY Birsfelden, Bene created the solo piece Emotions of Normal People and appeared as a superhero. His interest in immersive formats led him to the Bern Academy of the Arts, where he completed the CAS program »InterActing« and earned a master’s degree in Expanded Theater. His master’s project 17 Welten invites to take a solution-oriented look at global challenges. He firmly believes that theater can save the world—at least a little bit. In his work, he enjoys playing with the boundaries between reality and fiction and is particularly interested in the relationship between performers and audiences.