I will say to His Excellency: 'Your worshipful son has an eye for my daughter. My daughter is not good enough to be your worshipful son's wife, but far too good to be your worshipful son's whore. And that's that.'

Unable to conceal their desire for each other, Ferdinand and Louisa - a noble soldier and the daughter of a lowborn musician - are at odds with their entire society. An ambitious President is threatened, a powerful countess is rejected, a violinist is driven to a breakdown and the slick political operator, Worm, is hired to plot their separation.

A potent mix of tragedy and comedy with echoes of both Romeo & Juliet and Tartuffe, Schiller's early masterpiece is unleashed in this fresh and urgent new translation specially commissioned by the faction theatre co. to commemorate the 250th anniversary year of Schiller's birth.