Het Zuidelijk Toneel creates theatre. Artistic director Piet Menu and a diverse group of theater makers from the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) have built an open, engaging and multifaceted theater company. The best makers under one roof. Het Zuidelijk Toneel and its makers are bound by an inherent drive to enter into dialogue with the audience. Challenging, evocative. Our work takes place in the real world, and the real world is part of our art making process. Our central theme: connection to The Other and how we see ourselves within that reflection. Het Zuidelijk Toneel has been based in Tilburg since 2010. Het Zuidelijk Toneel is a national theatre company with a focus on the Brabant Region of the Netherlands.
'Jostijn Ligtvoet Fotografie
Mr. Ferris
An original adventure for the entire family in an 18-metre-high Ferris wheel. Get on board, spin along with Mr. Ferris and look around you as if you were seeing the world for the first time.
I see many things so I know a lot.
I see many things, but I hear even more.
There are so many stories if you wish to see them. Or hear them.
Everything is connected with everything.
Nothing runs on its own. Neither do I.
Schippers&VanGucht and Het Zuidelijk Toneel join forces to bring Mr. Ferris (Radman in Dutch): a unique musical theatre experience for everyone, from young to old, from culture buffs to fairground fans, with your own city as the backdrop. A theatre installation with the desired distance of 1.5 metres.
Shush! Be quiet. Listen. Do you hear the city sigh?
In an 18-metre-high Ferris wheel, you listen to Mr. Ferris' story with headphones on. Because of his height, he towers above everything and everyone, giving him a great overview. Mr. Ferris hears and sees everything, including the things and people that often go unnoticed by us. During the ride, he whispers the secrets from above and below in your ear. What does the lady at number 60 in the street with the strange name do every morning? What is going on with the trees in the park around the corner? And what do clouds actually taste like?
With the sounds of The Colorist Orchestra and the warm voice of Belgian actor Jan Bijvoet telling the story written by Gerda Dendooven, a ride on a Ferris wheel has never been so special. Together with a merry-go-round and other theatrical activities, they form a special opening to the theatre season. The revolving experience will be on the doorstep of a number of theatres throughout September and October.
Coronaproof
You buy a ticket per gondola for a certain time slot (per half hour) and for a maximum of 3 adults or a family of 4. You can only enter the gondola with 3 or more people if you are from the same household. If you buy a ticket for 2 people you do not have to be from the same household. Because Mr. Ferris rotates, the boarding time is unique for each gondola, so you do not have to wait in line with many people. The gondolas and headsets are cleaned thoroughly throughout the day.
Everyone is welcome
A ride on a Ferris wheel is in itself a fun experience for everyone, which is why Mr. Ferris is accessible to all ages. Children as young as 4 years old can already experience an aspect of the theatrical experience. The story is easy to follow for children aged 7 and over. For children under 4, it is 'just' an exciting ride in a Ferris wheel, but that is also great fun! Children under 1.20 metres are only allowed in the Ferris wheel if accompanied by an adult.
Co-production
Het Zuidelijk Toneel conceived the idea of a safe theatrical experience in a Ferris wheel. They asked Schippers&VanGucht - because of their inventive theatrical installations and unusual audience arrangements - to work out the performance concept. The result: Mr. Ferris.
Check for dates: Check Radman (in Dutch)
Rijgen
In Rijgen, based on the well-known classic about love and sexuality by Arthur Schnitzler, actors and possibly an animal seduce each other on stage. They recount obscene stories. They fantasise all sorts of tragicomic love situations: bondage (to try out something new for a change), solitary surfing porno sites, in an orgy (with the audience). They try out foot fetishism or become embarrassed by unwelcome intimacies.
The heat of the stage lights, the tangibility of the setting and the actors make the performance tactile and sensual. Quotes from schmaltzy pop songs, chatrooms for animal lovers and eroticized texts by Roland Barthes, Alain Badiou, Srećko Horvat, Julia Kristeva and Luce Irigaray provoke the audience and bring a flush to your cheeks.
Director Sarah Moeremans and writer Joachim Robbrecht recently put on a series of performances in which they questioned theatre repertoire and iconic popular stories such as Bambi and Robin Hood from a contemporary perspective. Instead of simply reinterpreting the classics from our Western cultural archive, they pry them open and rewrite them.
Sarah studied visual arts, acting, production and philosophy. She created a furore with her company Moeremans&sons and generated performances with companies such as Orkater, NNT and Tg Oostpool. Her work is characterised by her strength in directing actors, a love for contemporary texts, a combination of social engagement a feeling for irony.
Joachim Robbrecht is playwright / director and sheds light on the darker corners of Dutch culture and European history in a satirical manner. War, love, colonialism and migration are important subjects in his work.
CONCEPT: Joachim Robbrecht & Sarah Moeremans
DIRECTOR: Sarah Moeremans
CAST: Ariane Van Vliet, Peter Seynaeve, Louis van der Waal
LANGUAGE: NL
SURTITLES: EN
TEXT: Joachim Robbrecht
SET DESIGN & COSTUME DESIGN: Dorothee Curio
PRODUCTION: NTGent
With the support of the Flemish government and the City of Ghent.