Three Times Left is Right

How can a marriage and family life work when the spouses hold completely opposing political views? Julian Hetzel drew inspiration for his extraordinary chamber play from a real-life couple living in Vienna – he is a left-wing cultural studies scholar with a communist past, she a leading intellectual of the New Right and the Identitarian Movement; together they have three children. In »Three Times Left is Right«, the omnipresent polarisation and division of society is, so to speak, negotiated at the kitchen table. Whilst everyone lives in their own bubble and genuine discourse between people with seemingly irreconcilable positions has all but ceased, this mismatched couple cannot simply walk away from the conversation and pull up the drawbridge. Hetzel recounts the radicalisation of society through the lens of a single individual, doing so with intelligence, wit and memorable imagery. The right-wing thinker increasingly appropriates the left’s terminology, reappropriates it and repurposes it. And in the end, the ideological opposition is literally put through the mincer in a furious splatter scene … The German theatre director Julian Hetzel has lived and worked in the Netherlands since completing his studies and has already received numerous awards for his work. »Three Times Left is Right« was invited to the 2026 Theatertreffen as one of the ten most remarkable productions of the season and, according to the jury’s statement, is »a masterpiece of provocation«.
The German theatre maker, performance artist and visual artist Julian Hetzel was born in the Black Forest, studied at the Bauhaus University in Weimar and at DasArts Amsterdam, and has been living and working in the Netherlands for around 15 years. He develops performances with a political dimension and a documentary approach for theatres and galleries. His works are produced and presented internationally, and he has already received numerous awards for his work.

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What the press say:
»A gripping piece that asks tough questions«
Die Presse

»The evening does justice to its serious subject matter with astonishing lightness … with humour and images ranging from very stylish to very abstruse, which you’ll want to see.«
Der Standard

»›Three Times Left Is Right‹ holds up a mirror to the audience: To what extent do we push away those of us who think differently?«
De Volkskrant

»A showdown between right and left, even in the bedroom«
Il Corriere della Sera
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