Biginbelgium 2014

S i r e n s

B I G M O u T h Where the ­world is going, that’s ­where we are going

LOO K I N G F OR PAUL S M A L LWAR

L a n d sc a p e wit h sk i p roa d s

BIG IN BELGIUM

This brochure contains the second edition of Big in B ­ elgium: a ­series of shows from the Flemish part of Belgium. Each of the shows in this edition has been very successful on the European mainland and is now presented for the first time to Edinburgh audiences.

Wanting to build on the success of last year’s ­edition ­during which Nick Steur won a Fringe First for ­FREEZE! and ­Berlin won a ­Total Theatre Award for B ­ onanza, we immediately went scouting for new shows that were made in the Dutch language ­ areas and could be ­translated for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. We came up with 5 new shows that really impressed us during their respective ­premieres, and we are sure you will enjoy them too.

Participating in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the 8th time in as many years, multiple Fringe First winner ­Ontroerend Goed perform their very own take on current day sexism and ­feminism. Their new show Sirens is a true feminist manifesto for the 21st Century. You are invited into the world of 6 female performers and their view on the complexity of these issues.

Following the success of BigMoutH (which returns this year for three performances only), SKaGeN presents Valentijn Dhaenens’ latest show. SmallWar examines World War One from the one perspective that you rarely hear voiced in war-related fiction: that of the fallen soldier.

In Looking for Paul, Inez Van Dam, a proud Rotterdam inhabitant, travels to LA to confront modern artist Paul McCarthy with the fact that his statue known as ‘Buttplug Gnome’ is situated right in front of her home windows. The Dutch collective Wunderbaum are in Edinburgh for the first time and not to be missed!

Another first-timer is the Dutch author/performer Pieter De ­ uysser. His Landscape With Skiproads invites you to join him B and his mysterious fellow travellers on a journey past countless artifacts created throughout history for not so obvious reasons.

6 good reasons to see a Big in Belgium show at the 2014 ­Edinburgh Fringe.

4

31/07 09/08

BIG IN BELGIUM WAS CrEATED BY program david bauwens, sophie de somere, liv laveyne production richard jordan, t­ ammy dale & elaine innes communication & finances david bauwens & wim smet production on ­location nele ­ samyn press martin shippen design nick mattan coproduction - big in belgium, theatre ­ ­ royal ­ plymouth, richard jordan productions ltd. & ­ summerhall special thanks to simon stokes, david miller & mark ­ hawker from theatre royal plymouth, to hans rabaey from ­ theater aan zee, to all the artists & companies involved, to summerhall & traverse, to all technicians ­involved & to the edinburgh audiences. big in belgium is supported by the flemish governement.

BIG IN BELGIUM

Why Hof van Eede wants to talk to you about Jaques the fatalist and his master might also remain a little unclear. What will be obvious after seeing their debut show Where The World Is Going, That’s Where We Are Going is why they are already named one of the upcoming talents in Flemish theatre.

Ontroerend Goed

VooRUIT, Big in Belgium, Richard Jordan Productions, Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Summerhall

BIG IN BELGIUM

Sirens

‌Sirens: so powerful, that even men turn into feminists De Standaard - Wouter Hillaert

Sirens

director alexander devriendt dramaturgy joeri smet, mieke versyp with charlotte de bruyne aurélie lannoy anemone valcke marjan deschutter karolien de bleser verona verbakel costume & scenography sophie de somere & manu verschueren photo rienhout hiel ­composition ­joris blanckaert technique creation jasper taelemans & elke verachtert with support of the ­flemish community, province of east-flanders and the city of ghent

V E N U E /DAT E S Summerhall - MAIN HALL 20:30 dates check page 14-15

BIG IN BELGIUM

We are the weaker sex. We’re godesses, muses, amazons and warrior queens. We can’t control our feelings and we bleed once a month, because we deserve it. We cry, scream, sulk and suffer inexplicable mood swings. We’re little ­princesses who love to dress up and curtsy. We need a man to tell us how to get organized. We all have oversensitive antennae and they hurt. We are either whores, saints or moms. We read signs in everything. We like to provoke but we don’t fully understand the impact. We’re good liars, use our bodies to get on in life, argue that it’s impossible to understand if you’re not a woman.

Pieter De BuysseR

Margarita Production and Richard Jordan Productions, Big in Belgium, Theatre Royal Plymouth, LIFT in association with Summerhall

BIG IN BELGIUM

L and s c a pe wit h

sk i p roa d s “A fabulous magician with stories

that concern us.�

De Theaterkrant (NL)

L and sc ap e wit h s kip road s

text and performance pieter de buysser scenography herman sorgeloos dramaturgy ­m arianne van kerkhoven, esther severi costumes anne-catherine kunz sound nina de vroome ­ s opraan lieselot de wilde photo herman sorgeloos co-production ­ ­ kaai­ t heater (be), stuk (be), bit ­teatergarasjen (no) and hau hebbelteater (de), teater avant g ­ arden (no), archa theatre (cz) with the support of the government of flanders, house on fire european cultural projects & flemish literature fund

V E N U E /DAT E S summerhall - old lab 11:55 dates check page 14-15

BIG IN BELGIUM

On stage, a collection of authentic objects that have played a unique role in history. Together with these, Pieter De Buysser, the galloper Zoltan and Abbas, his horse, are on a search for a lost future. A joyful and desperate epic journey is taking off, with love and a glove, with Pavlov’s bell and Aquinas’ belly,with Yeltsin’s last bottles and Walt Disney’s meat knife.

Can they turn time into a landscape with skiproads?

Hof VAN EEDE

Big in Belgium, Richard Jordan Productions, Theatre Royal Plymouth, THEATER AAN ZEE in association with Summerhall

BIG IN BELGIUM

where the world is going,

that’s where we are going ‘Literary and philosophical ­contemplations abound in a hilarious and unceasing ­dialogue. Where the world... is an ode for language, but also an ode for life and its unpredictable flightiness.’

Cobra.be

Where the ­world is going, that’s w ­ here we are going

concept & text ans & louise van den eede in collaboration with greg timmerman with jeroen van der ven en ans van den eede translation wannes gyselinck photo tom callemin with the support of compagnie de koe, art centre nona, art centre campo

V E N U E /DAT E S Summerhall - Cairns Lecture 14.55 dates check page 14-15

BIG IN BELGIUM

“We’d love to tell you about Jacques the fatalist and his­ ­Master, by Denis Diderot, one of the best books ever ­written, but we’re having a problem.” Where the world is going, that’s where we are going is the first, award-winning show by ­theatre company Hof van Eede. Sisters Louise Van den Eede and Ans Van den Eede took Diderot’s novel as a starting point, and ended up embracing the vulnerability of language in a deliciously whimsical conversation between a man and a ­woman, “who need to go somewhere else, urgently.”

Wunderbaum

Red Cat (LA), Big in Belgium, Richard Jordan Productions, Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Summerhall

BIG IN BELGIUM

Looking for Paul

“...easily the funniest and most audacious thing I saw all year. In a broadly tongue-­ in-cheek exploration of issues related to public art and performance, the troupe took on the work of Los Angeles art legend Paul McCarthy both as a source of conflict and wellspring of inspiration.”

Out West Arts

Looking for Paul

actors & creators walter bart, inez van dam, wine dierickx, matijs jansen, maartje remmers & marleen scholten, for this particular revival of looking for paul in edinburgh we welcome the american guest actor daniel frankl design maarten van otterdijk photo steven a. gunther with the support of the city of los angeles department of cultural affairs’ cultural exchange international program

V E N U E /DAT E S Summerhall - Main Hall 22:30 dates check page 14-15

BIG IN BELGIUM

Inez van Dam lives in Rotterdam straight opposite the ­so-­called “Buttplug Gnome” by artist Paul McCarthy. She thinks this work of art is ruining her street and she wants to travel to Los Angeles to meet McCarthy and take r­ evenge.

Wunderbaum was invited to make a performance in the Redcat theater in Los Angeles (USA). They invited Inez to come to LA to tell her story. They informed McCarthy that she was on her way.

SkaGEN

Richard Jordan Productions, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Big in Belgium

BIG IN BELGIUM

Sma l l Wa R

“The underlying war ­logic is both breathtakingly simple and incredibly ­ complex. ­ Valentijn ­Dhaenens ­translates this ­paradox into a many-­ voiced ­performance full of painful ­dissonances.”

De Morgen

SkaGEN

Richard Jordan Productions and Big in Belgium

Bi g M out H

bigmouth

“Brilliant … a fascinating experience.”

Lyn Gardner, Guardian

SmallWaR

direction and performance valentijn dhaenens light and sound design jeroen wuyts costume design barbara de laere photo daily dolores in association with STUK, de Singel, funded by the Flemish ­ ­Community and the city of Antwerp

VENUE/DAT ES

BIG IN BELGIUM

SmallWaR picks up where BigMoutH left off. BigMoutH offered a platform to leaders through history and from across the w ­ orld, people who invariably spurred masses on to war: praising the fallen, and smooth-talking to their families and loved ones. Small­ WaR shifts the focus from statesmen and commanders to the small fry and the effects of stirring words. Once again all alone on stage, Dhaenens now tells the tragic fate of those who fell victim, those who have to act upon those words, who are forced to live in the wake of man as a belligerent creature. The noble, heroic, exalted side of war gets ample coverage. SmallWaR investigates the reverse side of the medal, the clash between underlings and the massive structures crushing them!

Traverse - ONe times vary from 29 July - 24 August

Three Performances Only!

BigMoutH

Three Performances Only!

With five microphones and unrelenting energy, ­Valentijn ­Dhaenens celebrates 2500 years of oration in a tour de ­force one-man performance. From Socrates to Bin Laden, victory speeches to eulogies and the r­ousing to the frankly inept, the most memorable ­addresses in history are woven together to create a thrilling and powerful oratory rollercoaster that has enjoyed s­ ell-out seasons in Europe, NY, Australia and the UK. direction and performance valentijn dhaenens light & sound design jeroen wuyts costume design ­barbara de laere photo maya wilsens in co-production with STUK and De Tijd funded by The Flemish Community

VENUE/DAT ES TRAVERSE - ONe Times vary - 19, 21, 23 August

OVERVIEW 6

7

8

9

10

11:55

11:55

11:55

11:55

11:55

14:55

14:55

14:55

14:55

14:55

20:45

10:00 AM

12:45

15:30

17:45

20:45

14:55

5

14:55

14:55

4

11:55

3

14:55

2

11:55

1

14:55

31

Sirens

summerhall main hall 70 min - £12,5/£11

Landscape with skiproads

BIG IN BELGIUM

summerhall - old lab 90 min - £12,5/£11

Where the world is going, that’s where we are going summerhall cairns lecture 75 min - £12,5/£11

Looking for Paul

summerhall - main hall 105 min - £12,5/£11

17:30

13:30

traverse 1 70 min - £19/£14

PREVIEW

BigMoutH

19:00

traverse 1 70 min - £19/£14

PREVIEW

SmallWaR

AUGUST 21

22

23

24 20:30

20:30

20:30

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20:30

20:30

11:55

11:55

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11:55

11:55

14:55

14:55

14:55

14:55

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14:55

22:30

22:30

22:30

22:30

22:30

BIG IN BELGIUM

20

12:45

20:45

15

16

17 20:30

20:30

20:30

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20:30

20:30

11:55

11:55

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11:55

14:55

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14:55

22:30

22:30

22:30

22:30

10:00 AM

12:45

15:30

17:45

20:45

10:00 AM

15:30

14

22:30

19 13

18 12 11

10.00 AM

17:45

12:45

L a nd s c a p e wit h s k i p roa d s S MA L LWAR

Where the ­world is going, that’s ­where we are going LOO K I N G F O R PAU L S i r e n s

B I G M O u T h

This brochure contains the second edition of Big in Belgium: a series of shows from the Flemish part of ­ Belgium. Each of the shows in this edition has been ­ very successful on the European mainland and is now ­presented for the first time to Edinburgh audiences.