In "Die Ritter des Mutterkorns. Eine psychedelische Klamotte" (The Knights of Ergot. A Psychedelic Farce), Rocko Schamoni and Jörg Pohl transport the audience into an absurd universe between science, politics, and mind-expanding fantasy. The play begins with a historic moment: On April 29, 2008, the legendary discoverer of LSD takes one last trip on his deathbed—not as an escape, but as a legacy. His mission to a secret circle of psychonauts is ambitious: they are to complete his life's work and save the world with the help of a new substance, the peace drug LSD-1000. But as so often happens in stories about big ideas, visions quickly fall into the wrong hands.
A utopian mission turns into a fast-paced chase through secret research laboratories, political back rooms, and the confusing labyrinths of global power structures. Schamoni and Pohl combine satirical social criticism with anarchic humor and play masterfully with the question of who actually has access to knowledge and enlightenment. As the characters set out in search of the legendary formula, the search for truth itself becomes the central motif—a theme that oscillates between scientific curiosity, capitalist interests, and spiritual longings.
The Knights of the Ergot © Ringo Hoehn
The production is less a classic drama than a theatrical expedition into the borderlands of reality and imagination. With anarchic humor, musical elements, and rapid shifts between different narrative styles, it creates a theatrical trip that raises both political and cultural questions. It reflects on the history of the psychedelic movement as well as humanity's longing for healing, peace, and collective change.
The audience is invited into a world beyond their usual perception—a world where scientific formulas, power fantasies, and spiritual visions collide. "Die Ritter des Mutterkorns" is thus more than a comedy: it is a wild ride through Basel, through the history of counterculture, and through the abysses of human utopias.
March 23 and 27, April 13 and 18, May 15, 17, and 31, June 8 and 14, 2026
www.theater-basel.ch
