Nicolás Pérez Costa on Richard III at the Cockpit Theatre: power, percussion and the body

Nicolás Pérez Costa on bringing Richard III from Spain to the Cockpit Theatre: power, percussion and the body as language

Director and performer Nicolás Pérez Costa speaks to Matt Eberlein ahead of a performance of Richard III at the Cockpit Theatre in London, 11 July 2026.

Nicolás Pérez Costa is Argentinian. He lives in Spain. He has spent over 25 years directing theatre across Argentina and Spain, and this week he brought his Richard III to London for the first time.

The production sold out Madrid's Teatro Infanta Isabel before receiving Off Theatre Award nominations for Best Play, Best Director and Best Actor. At the Cockpit Theatre it runs in the round, with an international cast of Portuguese, Argentinian, American, Spanish and British performers, driven by live percussion and physical theatre rather than naturalistic staging.

In this conversation with Matt Eberlein, Pérez Costa talks about what it took to reshape the production for London, why the body became the primary language of the piece, and what Richard III says about power when you remove the crown and place it in the hands of anyone with authority over another person.

Watch the full interview above.