Dusk. Day fades slowly towards night, offering some resistance. Steph enters Rick's boxing studio in Berlin-Wedding. She is insecure, wild, frustrated - and determined. She craves recognition. From Rick. The owner of the gym, a former heavyweight boxer from Boston. He once had everything a champ could need. Now, he is broken. Badly injured early in his career, worn out, disillusioned, sick. She has a lot of potential, but is not there yet. He can't do much more, and is painfully aware of it. She offers energy, determination and skill. In the course of this night, two soulmates find each other. Without knowing it. They talk, train, struggle, fight, cry, laugh. The result is wisdom, conflicts and injuries. She is pushed to her limit, and he is pushed beyond his. UPPERCUT is a chamber play. One night, two people. Who meet, look at each other, confront each other. Who get to know each other and through this, challenge each other, go beyond their limits. Who like each other, sometimes more, sometimes less. UPPERCUT is action, dance, boxing and sweat. UPPERCUT is life, tragedy, chance and failure. UPPERCUT is female, male, human.
—Torsten Ruether