Big In Belgium 2018 by nick mattan

ANOTHER ONE Lobke Leirens & Maxim Storms

UNSUNG Valentijn Dhaenens / KVS & SKaGeN

DE FUUT Bastiaan Vandendriessche

EUROPEAN CITIZEN POPSONG Marieke Dermul

NELE NEEDS A HOLIDAY – THE MUSICAL

“Summerhall’s Big in Belgium always produces some s eriously good shows.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

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Big in Belgium was created by CURATOR David Bauwens EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Richard Jordan with Tammy Dale PRODUCTION Elaine Innes PRODUCTION ON SITE (EDINBURGH) Jo Mackie TECHNICAL SUPERVISION FOR UPPER CHURCH Peter Searle TECHNICIAN Jon Barron PRESS Martin Shippen DESIGN Nick Mattan TRANSPORT Tom Daniels THANKS TO Simon Stokes, Upper Church/Rose Bruford College, Summerhall, all artists and companies involved COPRODUCTION Big in Belgium (BE), Richard Jordan productions (UK), Theatre Royal Plymouth (UK) IN ASSOCIATION WITH Summerhall (UK) and RBC/Upper Church (UK) SUPPORTED BY the Flemish Governement

SUMMERHALL BOX OFFICE 0131 560 1581

A new wave of Flemish theatre It’s August, it’s Fringe, we’re back... For its 6th program, Big in Belgium has been looking specifically for young theatre makers. We would like to show you the upcoming voices of the Flemish theatre world: young theatre makers who have already developed unique voices which set them apart. Work which is inspiring because it’s new, fresh and utterly vital. They will either experiment in search of new forms of performance art, or they will break down the existing formats and adapt them into something that is their own. Lobke Leirens and Maxim Storms are amongst the most impressive young artists on the Flemish stages these days. Their first collaboration, Another One, is an intense exploration of old love during old age. What remains when it disappears and how bright can it still burn? Marieke Dermul wants to represent Belgium in the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. She’s working on her song and has travelled Europe in search of advice on what the ideal European Citizen Popsong would look like. The Edinburgh Fringe feels like the next big place to find inspiration. Also looking for her place in a rapidly changing world is Nele Van den Broeck, aspiring pop star living in London, working towards her 15 minutes of fame. Nele Needs A Holiday: The Musical consists of all new songs about the life and times of this Flemish immigrant, trying to survive her own rise to stardom. Meanwhile, Valentijn Dhaenens’ character is also seeking the spotlight. Unsung is a most human portrayal of those whom we often consider to be the worst amongst humanity: politicians. As one of the prototype characters that we love to hate, Dhaenens does what he does best: he makes you care for a person with dubious morality... And finally Bastiaan Vandendriessche questions morality. Caught in a Lolita-like situation, he challenges his feelings for a couple of girls who are too young and tries a new spin on the sexuality/responsibility issue. De Fuut is as uncompromising as it is well-written. All new works, seen in the UK for the very first time... It’s August, it’s Fringe... Where else would we be?

ANOTHER ONE Lobke Leirens & Maxim Storms ‘If you break my heart, I’ll break yours too.’ Two fictional mortals explore the sufferings of s ilence. Peacefully. Together they survive time. ‘Another One’ becomes a sequence of tolerating and being tolerated. A nearly wordless c reation by an inventive theatre couple. ‘Another One’ has successfully toured in Belgium and the Netherlands. Lobke Leirens and Maxim Storms are both graduates from the School of Arts / KASK Ghent. In 2014, during TAZ (Theater Aan Zee), they presented their first collaboration, ‘Krocht’ - a bizarre visual journey in which the spectator, while sitting on a chair, was wheeled through a macabre maze full of mealworms and half-people.

FocusKnack [ êêêê ] “An intriguing well-performed chronicle about wanting to survive love when love hurts more than it brings comfort“

1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 AUGUST VENUE Summerhall Main Hall 10:00 55 min (14+)

PREVIEW 1st, 2nd (£8)

SHOWS £10 - concessions £8

MADE AND PERFORMED BY LOBKE LEIRENS & MAXIM STORMS PIGEON DIEDE ROOSENS & CARINE DE SWERTS TIPI WIEBE MOERMAN SUPPORT/ADVICE DRIFT PHOTO FRANK BASSLEER CO-PRODUCTION ARTS CENTRE VOORUIT, ARENBERGSCHOUWBURG, BIG IN BELGIUM, RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS, THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH IN ASSOCIATION WITH SUMMERHALL

UNSUNG Valentijn Dhaenens / KVS & SKaGeN The makers of BigMouth are back with a thrilling and pertinent new show that delves deeply into the politician’s life and laying bare those juicy backstage scenes we are all on the lookout for. Valentijn D haenens’ performance unravels the DNA of the homo politicus – with all attendant nastiness – and creates a personage that both mesmerises and repulses. While the whole world’s asleep, we follow the political animal as he pulls into yet another hotel, peels off yet another white shirt, peps himself up for yet another speech. Today, we give you the all-time politician: the power junkie, the rogue, the strategist, but also the husband, the father, and in the end, the very lonely human.

1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 AUGUST VENUE

De Standaard [ êêêê ] “You would blindly make Dhaenens, with charisma engraved into his face, the party’s leading candidate. It is clever how his character tumbles swiftly from campaign speech to media storm to triumphal procession. A wolf in chameleon’s clothing.”

Summerhall Main Hall 12:00 75 min (14+)

PREVIEW 1st, 2nd (£8)

SHOWS £12 - concessions £10

BY & WITH VALENTIJN DHAENENS TEXT VINCENT STUER TRANSLATION NADINE MALFAIT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR JEROEN WUYTS STAGE MANAGER NELE DRUYTS PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION KVS SASKIA LIÉNARD GENERAL MANAGER SKAGEN KORNEEL HAMERS PRODUCTION KVS/SKAGEN, BIG IN BELGIUM, RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS, THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH IN ASSOCIATION WITH SUMMERHALL

European Citizen Popsong Marieke Dermul Music’s power has erased boundaries before, but can it make us feel connected as citizens, even after Brexit? Last year, theatre maker Marieke Dermul researched if such a thing as a European identity or a common European sense exists. With this question in mind, she started a journey through Europe. By collecting opinions and musical input by citizens from all over Europe; lyrics became a collection of fears and doubts, music as a symbol of hope and the popsong for unity arose.

1 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 AUGUST VENUE Summerhall Red Lecture Theatre 18:00 1 hour (14+)

Theaterkrant, 2018 “Marieke Dermul turns fear into inspiration. Her appearance on the stage is fascinating and passionate.”

PREVIEW 1st, 3rd (£8)

SHOWS £10 - concessions £8

CONCEPT, TEXT, PERFORMANCE MARIEKE DERMUL CAMERA MICHIEL LANDEWEERD COPRODUCTION BIG IN BELGIUM, RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS, THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH IN ASSOCIATION WITH SUMMERHALL WITH THE SUPPORT OF DE BRAKKE GROND, DE BUREN, FLEMISH COMMUNITY, GONEWEST & SABAM

Nele Needs A Holiday: The Musical A Belgian popstar moves to London to steal the job of British popstars. Luckily, austerity is here to stop her. Nele Needs A Holiday: The Musical is a tongue-in-cheek Pop Opera about a girl called Nele who turns her life into a big international mess because she wants be famous on the other side of the English Channel. It’s a a ragsto-more-rags story showing the magnificent relief of grandiose failure in love, life, and a so-called career. Nele Needs A Holiday is a dramatic songwriter based in Brussels and London - for as long as it lasts. After releasing two albums, she decided to write a musical theatre show about the unfortunate encounters she has with her own ambition. Expect theatrical showtunes and profound torch-songs with an overriding eyebrow raised at the absurdity of life, brought by an all-female band meticulously trained to sing with their tongues in their cheeks.

De Standaard [ êêêê ] “The wittiest songs in years” Het Nieuwsblad [ êêêê ] “The Belgian Lena Dunham”

1 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 AUGUST VENUE Bruford at Summerhall Upper Chuch 22:15 55min (14+)

PREVIEW 1st, 3rd (£8)

SHOWS £10 - concessions £8

DIRECTED BY ANNEMIEK VAN ELST WRITTEN BY NELE VAN DEN BROECK P ERFORMED BY HANNAH DAVIS, ANNA SODEN & NELE VAN DEN BROECK L IGHTING DESIGN BY RACHEL SAMPLEY SOUND BY NICLAS JEPPSSON ASSOCIATE P RODUCER JO MACKIE PICTURE BY KAAT PYPE COPRODUCED BY NELE NEEDS A HOLIDAY, BIG IN BELGIUM, RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS, THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH IN ASSOCIATION WITH RBC WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FLEMISH COMMUNITY & SABAM

DE FUUT Bastiaan Vandendriessche Belgian playwright Bastiaan Vandendriessche invites the audience to celebrate his sexuality towards Leda and Emma, two young girls of whom he was a leader in the Seascouts in Ghent, 6 years ago. De Fuut is the winner of the Best International Performance Award 2017 at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, and the hit of the 2018 Brighton Fringe. “...You see, thing I love about ‘Lolita’ is that you’re just completely consumed and engrossed by the a rdent passion of a man, who is forever doomed to crave something sinister, something twisted. Consequently, this deep-seated longing could never be satisfied...” In De Fuut, Bastiaan Vandendriessche uses the theatre as an excuse to be truly honest about his feelings towards Leda and Emma, and this in times of moral ambiguity. “...whoever denies this is a big, fat, filthy, greasy liar, isn’t it? But don’t let me offend you, all right, I’m every bit a liar... and more... I mean, I’m honest now, but in daily life...No one really talks about this... There’s no way anyone can...” If you believe that admiration is endless, this play is a good test for that premise.

8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24 25 26 AUGUST VENUE Bruford at Summerhall Upper Chuch 8-12 august 15.00 14-26 august 19.45 1 hour (16+)

PREVIEW Brighton Fringe Review “As a glance into the tortured mind of a man trapped within the mesh of his own desires, it’s difficult to watch – yet at the same time it is compelling, and utterly impossible to turn away.” PLAYWRIGHT/PERFORMER BASTIAAN VANDENDRIESSCHE COACHING PETER SEYNAEVE COPRODUCED BY BIG IN BELGIUM, RICHARD JORDAN PRODUCTIONS, THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH IN ASSOCIATION WITH RBC

8th (£8)

SHOWS £10 - concessions £8

Best International Performance Award Amsterdam Fringe 2017

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DE FUUT BRUFORD AT SUMMERHALL 60MIN (16+) £ 10 / £ 8

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NELE NEEDS A HOLIDAY: THE MUSICAL BRUFORD AT SUMMERHALL 55MIN (14+) £ 10 / £ 8

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EUROPEAN CITIZEN POPSONG SUMMERHALL RED LECTURE THEATRE 60MIN (14+) £ 10 / £ 8

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UNSUNG SUMMERHALL MAIN HALL 75MIN (14+) £ 12 / £ 10

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ANOTHER ONE SUMMERHALL MAIN HALL 55MIN (14+) £ 10 / £ 8

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AUGUST

MEANWHILE IN LONDON

£¥€$ ONTROEREND GOED

“The best way to rob a bank is to own one” (William Crawford, Commissioner of the California Department of Savings and Loans).

The 2017 Big in Belgium sell-out Fringe show is now on in London. For one night only you are invited to join the super-rich. The 1%. You will call the shots. You will be the centre of the economy. You will have the power. Given the chance to do things your way - will you play it safe or risk it all?

VENUE ALMEIDA THEATRE ALMEIDA STREET

LONDON Wed 1 Aug - Sat 18 Aug Mon - Fri 6pm & 9pm Sat 4pm & 8pm

“ Flush as fuck” [ êêêê ] Matt Trueman, Festmag

“Brilliantly designed, engaging and beautifully presented” [ êêêê ] Stewart Pringle, The Stage “ It’s the Belgian company Ontroerend Goed back at its remarkable best, a show that simultaneously reinvents what theatre can be and triggers our emotions in exactly the way the best theatre can do.” [ êêêêê ] Mark Fisher, The Scotsman “ Under the ever-reliable direction of Alexander Devriendt, this is as polished a performance as you will see in Edinburgh and should be on everyone’s must-see list, especially those of politicians and bankers.” [ êêêê ] Philip Fisher, British Theatre Guide DIRECTOR ALEXANDER DEVRIENDT SCRIPT JOERI SMET, ANGELO TIJSSENS, KAROLIEN DE BLESER & ALEXANDER DEVRIENDT CAST ANGELO TIJSSENS, KAROLIEN DE BLESER, SAMIR VEEN, HANNAH BOER, AURÉLIE LANNOY, JOERI HEEGSTRA BRITT BAKKER CHARLOTTE DE BRUYNE BASTIAAN VANDENDRIESSCHE, ROBIN KEYAERT, MAX WIND, SJEF VAN SCHIE & AARON GORDON TECHNICAL SUPPORT BABETTE PONCELET & IBEN S TALPAERT COSTUMES ASTRID PEETERS MUSIC JOHANNES GENARD DESIGN NICK MATTAN SCENOGRAPHY VORMEN ONTROEREND GOED IN COPRODUCTION WITH KUNSTENCENTRUM VOORUIT, THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH AND RICHARD JORDAN P RODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RBC AND BIG IN BELGIUM SPECIAL THANKS TO TONEELACADEMIE MAASTRICHT WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE FLEMISH GOVERNMENT, PROVINCE OF EAST-FLANDERS & THE CITY OF GHENT

BIG IN BELGIUM ADVISES YOU TO ALSO SEE

TOTAL THEATRE AWARD NOMINEE THE SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST WINNER

BIG IN BELGIUM ADVISES YOU TO ALSO SEE

Cock, Cock, ... who’s there SAMIRA ELAGOZ IN ASSOCIATION WITH FROM START TO FINNISH

An award-winning performance about violence and intimacy. Samira Elagoz takes us along on her personal research p roject across three continents. From online platforms to close e ncounters, she showcases gender relations in their brutal and wonderful ambivalence and takes the audience on her journey of regaining power, reinventing autonomous expression of s exuality and attempts to relate back to men after being raped. Confrontational, unrestrainedly funny, and deeply touching. She explores desire, the power of femininity and the male gaze in a world in which the virtual and the real are inextricably intertwined.

VENUE

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Tech Cube 0 at Summerhall 18:45 1 hour 5min (U)

PREVIEW 3rd (£5)

SHOWS £10 - concessions £8

THE TASTIEST PROGRAM AROUND

ANOTHER ONE Lobke Leirens & Maxim Storms

UNSUNG Valentijn Dhaenens / KVS & SKaGeN

DE FUUT Bastiaan Vandendriessche

EUROPEAN CITIZEN POPSONG Marieke Dermul

NELE NEEDS A HOLIDAY – THE MUSICAL

“Summerhall’s Big in Belgium always produces some s eriously good shows.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

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