Saved Game is a raw and compelling solo performance about a mother who lost her son in an accident she caused. When she logs into her late son’s gaming account, the game becomes a refuge where denial and longing feed off each other. Life and levels intertwine, avatars merge with memories, and the line between reality and the pixelated world slowly blurs.

Hey Peter, you’re no stranger to Het Zuidelijk Toneel. You’ve previously appeared in Crashtest Ibsen and Reigen re-Erected, directed by Sarah Moeremans. Now you’re taking the director’s chair yourself. How does that feel?

I find it really nerve-wracking. I’ve sat in that director’s chair for a few years before, but because I found it too intense and too daunting, I’d actually decided to leave directing behind. As a director, you bear a much greater responsibility than as an actor or at least that’s how it feels. Just let me enjoy acting, I thought... In the years that followed, I continued to coach performances alongside acting, and in recent years I was increasingly asked to serve as the lead director. When Sarah Moeremens invited me to create a production at HZT, I decided the time was right to overcome my fears and return to directing. However, I certainly don’t intend to stop acting. Acting remains my greatest passion, but combining the two seems ideal to me for now.

You’re not only the director, but also the screenwriter. Can you walk us through the writing process?

After receiving Sarah’s invitation, I started thinking about what I would create and with whom. I had previously performed in a play with Julia Ghysels, and that experience left me wanting more. I thought it would be interesting to collaborate with Julia on this project. When the invitation from Het Zuidelijk Toneel came, I was reading a book by Dennis Cooper: God Jr. This is a novel about a man who loses his son in a car accident and, during the grieving process, becomes “hooked” on his son’s favorite video game. That book seemed like a good starting point for writing a new theatrical monologue for Julia.

I first made a rough adaptation of the book, then I set the book aside and began editing and adding to the text. From time to time, I had Joachim Robbrecht sparring partner and resident dramaturg at HZT read through the drafts, which eventually led to the text we used to start rehearsals. The text continued to evolve during the rehearsal process. More was cut and added, and that’s how I eventually arrived at the final script for the performance together with Julia.

Where did the idea for the play Saved Game come from, and what role does the title Saved Game play in the play’s themes?

The title refers to a saved game that the mother of a deceased boy finds on his computer. In the performance, she becomes increasingly immersed in that computer game in the hope of getting closer to her deceased child. It is her attempt to escape reality or, conversely, to delve even deeper into her grief. Play the pain away. The performance is also about how lonely the grieving process can be, despite all the well-meaning advice from those around you.

In this production, you work very closely with ensemble member Julia Ghysels. How do you find that one-on-one creative process? And what surprised you the most during rehearsals?

A monologue is indeed a very intense creative process. It’s a one-on-one dialogue between the creator and the performer. That can be difficult at times, but it’s also very special. The conversations go deeper, and the questions are bigger. We worked in several rehearsal blocks. First, it was just Julia and me for three weeks. Later, in the second block, Gode Kempen joined us; he composes the music for the performance and, through his sounds, has essentially become a counterpart to Julia. In an even later phase, set design, costumes, technical crew, and lighting entered the rehearsal space, and so the performance gradually became more of a group effort. That’s why I love theater so much because in the end, it’s always a group effort, even when it’s a monologue.

As a director, this project was above all a lesson for me in letting go and daring to trust. The most fruitful rehearsals were the ones in which I dared to “not know.” That was a lesson not only for me as a director but also for me as a person. 

In line with its mission to produce more sustainably, Zuidelijk Toneel sets artistic challenges for creators. This year, they are challenging three creators to work within the same set design. Saved Game shares the set with This Will Not End Well and Vondel’s Angels. What was it like to create within that shared set design?

I am a director who, up until now, has always designed the sets for my own productions. For me, the design emerges and evolves during the rehearsal process. I have no idea beforehand what the final set of the production will look like, or what form the production requires. That is important to me; more than that, that search for form is the driving force behind my directing. What does the actor need, what do I need as a creator?

For this production, I did that together with designer Johanna Trudzinski. So for the first time, I had a discussion partner in this process. Actually, two other discussion partners right away, because Sarah Moeremans and Suze Milius were also at the table, since we’re sharing a set for the three productions. The fact that I wouldn’t be making design decisions alone was a first for me and therefore very special and fascinating. However, since I’m the first to premiere with part of the shared set, I think I felt the least constrained by it. It will likely be more of a challenge for Sarah and Suze to integrate “my” set into theirs.

One last question, Peter. What can the audience expect when they see Saved Game? And what thought or emotion do you hope they’ll take with them when they leave the theater?

My work is very stripped-down and emotional. The focus is on the performer. The performer and the character they portray merge as much as possible. Just as the form and content of the performance merge. I seek the greatest possible vulnerability and imagination, and for me, that always starts with the performer. I hope the audience will empathize with the character, that they will briefly inhabit the performer’s heart and mind, and that we will breathe as one for a good hour. I also hope that the audience will be just as impressed by Julia’s performance as I am, and that they will be just as moved as I was many times during rehearsals.

Above all, I hope that when the audience leaves the theater, they will feel just a little more connected and a little less lonely than they did before.

Thanks, Peter, for giving us a glimpse into your creative process!

Saved Game runs in theaters till May 30, 2026. Play the pain away!