Closing Statement 2026
The graduating drama students are bidding farewell in style. CLOSING STATEMENT is a musical epilogue to round off the Drama Festival. A grateful farewell to the programme, a ‘take care’ and ‘stay a little longer’ to one another and to their audience. It was performed, in Dutch, on 25 June at CAMPO Nieuwpoort.
1
The twentieth of June, 2026 will go down in history as the hottest day ever.
In Uccle, they claim that temperatures will only rise over the coming days. And over the coming years, too, for that matter. But here – tonight, very locally – the thermometer will soar well above its limit. Don’t go looking for any meteorological explanations, though: what is causing this heat is the fire that is being unleashed upon the world tonight.
2
We are graduating. We are burning with desire, with love and with necessity. We are on fire with our passion for drama, for acting and for each other. We are consumed by joy, by togetherness, by our dreams. Four or five heated years have raced past like a feverish dream that just won’t end. Tonight, we are dreaming ourselves into the future. For one last time, we, as a class, are reducing the theatre to ashes.
3
For us, theatre is a place to be together, to work together, to come together, to experience things together, to think together and to discuss together. For us, theatre is transcendent: it is becoming one with a community and with bodies, losing oneself in time, space and identity, becoming part of something greater, larger than life; theatre is a place where the boundaries of life are momentarily shifted, where we are granted to share the here and now. For us, theatre is goosebumps; it is believing that anything is still possible, that the new still exists and that the old is just as important, that everything can, may and must be questioned. Theatre is one of the best – and worst – experiences you can have in your life.
4
For us, playing is liberation, freedom, energy and vitality. For us, playing is more powerful than a drug; it is being a body again, believing again, diving into something together, understanding, feeling, intuition, laughter, tears and everything in between. At times, playing is the most terrifying, most uncomfortable thing a body can do. And then sometimes, it is the most liberating, most transcendent thing that body can do. Playing is like flying.
5
For us, creating is dreaming. Re-dreaming things. Translating them onto the floor in a different way, opening up new perspectives. Thinking differently, living differently, constantly playing with structures. Spanning arcs over whatever presents itself. Creating is like a pregnancy. One in which you get to be the womb, the carrier and the midwife all at once. And at the same time, you get to let go of those roles; to be carried and nurtured by others. Creating is bringing ‘something that already exists but isn’t here yet’ into the world, and involving and guiding other people in that process.
6
KASK & Conservatorium has shaped us as creators and performers in unique ways. Like beasts howling for their pack in the dead of night. Spry and supple as a school of fish in the sea. Buzzing as if possessed by thousands of bees. They are quivering. They are quivering inside for everyone to see.
7
Look! Look at the one foaming at the mouth and breathing heavy. There! The one whose devotion is like an avalanche, a tornado, no: a tsunami. And there: the one with teary eyes and even wetter armpits. Next to them, the one with the clearest throat singing and the sweetest abstraction. That one there, barefoot, covered in bruises. And over there: the one with the virtuoso lines and the eloquence of a lion. That one! With the stage presence of a newborn. Or the one with the beat. The one with the drive. The one with muscular calves.
8
That one has worked their fingers to the bone! That one speaks out! This one rolls up their sleeves for their community! That one is said to be the loudest, but perhaps also the quietest. And that one has read hooks, Deleuze and Le Guin. That one thinks. That one feels. That one knows that those are two sides of the same coin. That one speaks because they have something to say. That one listens because they want to hear what is being said. Those over there, they’re an item – you can tell. That one person is furious, they’re far beyond language. That other relies on intuition – that’s what they have learnt. That one – oh look – enjoys the in-between, and that one, even more, techno. That one knows it’s okay to lose themselves in an emotion; see how they’re at peace with that. And this one knows that playing is an exercise in empathy.
9
That one – oh so beautiful – has had their mask fall away. And that one – oh dear – they've fallen themselves. That little Icarus! That great Cassandra! That one there, who dares to look at tomorrow full of hope and courage. This one here, who thinks: I want to sleep beside you and do your shopping and carry your bags and tell you how much I — Watch out, that one will interrupt, will say: only the words break the silence everything else is silent if I were to fall silent I wouldn’t hear anything anymore I — Yes! Yes, look! That’s them, that’s them. That’s them of KASK Drama.
6
This is our heartfelt tribute to the waywardness, the sense of wonder, the joy, the love, the care we show for one another’s work and well-being, the opportunity to stand on one another’s shoulders, the critical questions, the humour, the inspiration we draw from one another, and the boundless openness of our classmates.
10
We are grateful to the teachers who dare to swim against the tide. We are grateful for all the attention and space, the organisation of the Graduation Festival and all the master’s projects. We are grateful for all the support: technical, emotional and intellectual.
Together (everyonesaysa name)
We are grateful to Frederik le Roy, Madonna Lenaert, Kristof Van Baarle, Wannes Ghyselinck, Paola Bartoletti, Geert Belpaeme, Jan Steen, Martine Clierieck, Paul Demets, Willem de Wolf, Bauke Lievens, Carolina Maciel de França, Helena De Preester, Björn Doumen, Séba Hendrickx, Mieke Ramon, Eva Kamala Rodenburg, Mieja Hollevoet, Simon deWinne, Bardia Mohammed, Kato Ooms, Tijmen Vandamme and Flore Van Sparreta
We are grateful to everyone who dreams and never stops believing. We are grateful for the heat underneath our feet; we can’t wait to leave this theatre and set out into the wide world. We dream ourselves into the future. We burn out and are reborn tomorrow. For the last time, we, as a class, reduce the theatre to ashes.
Together
IF WE BURN, YOU’LL BURN WITH US!
Graduating masters drama 2026
Drama, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesDuring the Drama Festival, drama master’s students present their graduation work. Offbeat and classical drama, crossovers, performances and multidisciplinary work can be seen at various locations in Ghent. The Drama Festival runs from 15 to 20 June 2026.
Als de dieren gek worden, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activities“Ik zat alleen in een kamer en had plotseling een flits van inzicht, en produceerde een volledig gevormd, briljant perspectief dat niemand ooit eerder heeft gehad: Alles is natuurlijk, van de bloemen en de bijen tot de laptop waarop dit tekstje is geschreven.”
In ‘Als de dieren gek worden’ onderzoeken vijf mensen hoe ver natuur, maatschappij en technologie uit elkaar lijken te liggen. Ze vragen zich af of ze nog terug kunnen keren naar de natuur en of er een onderscheid gemaakt kan worden tussen natuurlijk en onnatuurlijk. Ze gaan aan de hand van vooronderstellingen, filosofen en AI bepalen wat deze alomvattende en beladen begrippen voor hen betekenen.
By and with
Sainabou Johm, Pepijn Vermeulen, Lena Van Speybroeck, Giel Luyten en Anton Rys
Thanks to
Simon De Winne, Bauke Lievens, Mario Barrantes Espinoza, Carolina Maciel de França, Bardia Mohammad, Kato Ooms, Madonna Lenaert, Bjarne Liveyns, Hannah Ascoop, Simon D’Huyvetter, Helena De Smet, Aouatif Boulaich en onze medestudenten.
TWO DUDES AND A CHICK IN THE WEST, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesIn the beginning The Man created heavens and earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of The Man hovered over the waters.
And The Man said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
And The Man said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”
And The Man said, “Let water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
Then The Man said, “Let the dry grounds produce tumbleweeds and let the wind blow them to savage horizons.”
And The Man said, “Let there be Lights in the vault of the sky to separate day from night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times.”
And The Man said, “Let vultures circle over the land, giving them a keen eye.”
And The Man said, “Let the ground produce herds according to their kinds.”
Then The Man said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the herds on the ground and control the tumbleweeds’ path.”
The Man blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it with your blood.
So The Man created cowboy and wife.
This was their west.
By their sentience will it flourish
or by their folly fall to ruin.
From / With
Mina Marechal, Arnaud Muco en Winand Keymis
Thanks to
Simon De Winne, Bardia Mohammad, Bauke Lievens, Carolina Maciel de França,
Mario Barrantes Espinoza, Hannah Ascoop en Kim Smets
Bodycount, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesIn Bodycount, two ‘sex-positive true crime lifestyle’ podcasters, Mia and Thais, delve into the world of sex and violence through their eponymous talk show. In their deep conversations, they wonder whether these two will forever revolve around each other, descending ever deeper into an obsession that provides them with both tools and shackles. They dredge up stories from their own and collective pasts, and discover how the two are inextricably linked.
Creation and performance
Alma Rio Cromstege and Maria Magdalena de Cort
Coaching
Abigail Gypens
Set design
Emma Onghena
Music
Kim Eldarova
Supervision
Jan Steen and Timeau De Keyser
With thanks to
KASK & Conservatorium, Bardia Mohammad, Simon De Winne, Madonna Lenaert, Rinus Martha Chaerle, Elise, Titus, Daan, my father, all my classmates and the performance ‘Who’s Afraid of Representation’ by Rabih Mroué / Lina Majdalani.
The pig, the fox & the inadequate desperate hope of turning a lost love around, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesThe fox is clever. The pig is obedient. Until they aren’t. One pig at a time. Another subject. A willing one, perhaps. Or just too tired to resist. Pigs remember, though. They learn patterns. They remember the hand that feeds them is the same toxic hand that marks them. What the fox calls healing, the pig calls love. The fox cannot understand why the pigs keep acting the same. The pigs cannot understand why the fox does. Somewhere between leaving and staying, hunting and holding, they begin to trade places—until neither knows anymore whether they are predator or prey.
The pig admires the fox.
The fox admires the pig.
The abused pig used the fox.
The accused fox abused the pig.
The admired pig accused the fox.
The used fox admires the pig.
Forgive or forget; the choice is yours. The consequences not.
Play, concept and direction
Manon Van Ranst and Maxim Goossens
Technics
Natan Ceulemans and Siep Van Heugten
Poster
Simon Baert
Thanks to
Carolina Maciel de França, Bauke Lievens, Bardia Mohammad, Simon De Winne, Mario Barrantes Espinoza, Madonna Lenaert, de dieren, David Attenborough, de drama, alle toxische mensen, Studio 2, en de mama’s, koehandel, Pablo, alle porto, Hannes Bulen, Kobe Cottyne, Ashling Cauwenberghs, Ariana grande, KASK Drama, medestudenten en mannen met snorren
Vogeltribunalen!, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesVogeltribunalen! Proclameert!; Declareert!; Escaleert!
Vogeltribunalen! is de maatschappij en de maatschappij dat bent u.
Vogeltribunalen! heeft geen éénduidige esthetiek.
Vogeltribunalen! is beter tien vogels in de lucht dan één in de hand.
Vogeltribunalen! is een staat van zijn.
Vogeltribunalen! nestelt zich tussen verwondering en verweer.
Vogeltribunalen! is Doeken!; Doeken!; Doeken!; Gordijnen!; Railingen!; Doeken!
Vogeltribunalen! is te veel noten op je zang.
Vogeltribunalen! zingt zoals ze gebekt is.
Vogeltribunalen! is vogelvrij.
Vogeltribunalen! spreekt met de keel en niet met de kop.
Vogeltribunalen! is niet bang om haar publiek in fictie los te laten.
Vogeltribunalen! eist faillisement.
Vogeltribunalen! moet sterven voordat het doek gevallen is.
Vogeltribunalen! is een verzameling van kortvoorstellingen door vogels, van vogels, aaneengeplakt door pek, veren en gordijnen. Zij toont flarden van een vogelmaatschappij die zich klaarstoomt voor de onherroepelijke stoomwals van een steeds geweldadiger wordende samenleving. Mens en vogel worden door elkaar geschud. Figuren fladderen, struikelen, exclameren, vliegen en moeten vooral hun ei kwijt. Onder de oppervlakte schuilt een onderzoek naar machtslust, menselijke gruwel en de dunne lijn tussen chaos en beschaving. Ergens tussen de actoren die oproepen tot hatelijke escalatie en struisvogelpolitiek, zien wij vogels die nog durven fluiten, dansen en vogelvrij uitvliegen. Vogelen of furore? Nesten of nazi’s? Ooievaar of olievaart? Teruggevloten of neergeschoten?
Curtain
Sebald van der Waal
By
Casper Schoolmeesters & Pieter van Dijk
Play
Ella Boomsma, Mira Cole, Miro Lievens, Seppe Somers
Under the guidance
Paola Bartoletti, Kristof Van Baarle
Music
Loïs Pluymers, Leander Vertriest, Bart Maris, Piet Jorens, Wouter De Broeck
Poster image
Emma Claire Sardoni
Costumes
Boris Vader, Maya Chowdhury, Linda Jasmin Mayer, Frida Luyckx
Can't be described how thankful we are to
Bardia Mohammad, Frederik Le Roy, Simon de Winne, Madonna Lenaert, Emma Claire Sardoni, Lotus Friede, Felix Braeckman, Wouter De Paepe Janneke Visser en Els Claeys <3, Tinnepot, Campo Victoria, De vogels van Vogeln, Het NAVO-kunstenfonds, Alle afgestuurde, afstuderende en studerende (Drama)studenten die ons bijstonden en inspireerden, Alle docenten waar we het privilege van hebben gehad les van te krijgen. Gevogelte
4.48, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesRemember the light and believe
the light. An instant of clarity
before eternal night
– 4.48 Psychosis written by Sarah Kane.
Van / met
Fatou Kâ & Aniesha Akoua N. Tchimou
Met dank aan
KASK Drama, Simon De Winne, Bauke Lievens, Mateo Degroof, Bardia Mohammad, Mario Barrantes Espinoza, Sarah Kane, Jan steen.
six degrees of separation, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesIn een wereld waar nabijheid geen afstand meer kent en intimiteit zich laat simuleren, vervagen de grenzen tussen echt en geconstrueerd. Wat gebeurt er wanneer die eenzijdige verbindingen wederkerig lijken te worden? Wanneer we niet langer alleen kijken, maar ook gezien willen worden — koste wat kost?
six degrees of separation is een onderzoek rond parasociale relaties en duikt in de verleidelijke logica van zelfmanipulatie. Het neemt je mee in een spel van aantrekken en afstoten, van kijken en bekeken worden, van controle en de illusie ervan. Het omarmt obsessies en verlangens, en stelt een eenvoudige maar onontkoombare vraag: hoe ver reikt onze verbondenheid werkelijk? En wie bespeelt hier eigenlijk wie?
Is iedereen echt maar zes handdrukken van elkaar verwijderd? Misschien. Misschien ook niet. Misschien is afstand gewoon een verhaal dat we graag geloven. Laat je verleiden. Laat je misleiden. Geef je over aan de betovering. Want de ware kunst van magie schuilt niet in wat de goochelaar doet — maar in jouw bereidheid om te geloven.
Credits
- concept: Melanie Barelds
- performance and text: Melanie Barelds, Tist de Maeyer
- under the guidance of: Ciska Hoet and Willem de Wolf
- external perspective: Joshua Smits
- technical support: Lena Dirckx
- image: Emma Ostyn
- visual design: Melanie Barelds
- incredibly grateful to: Korneel Coessens, Roos De Graeve, Simon De Winne, Madonna Lenaert, Bardia Mohammad, Frederik Le Roy, Dorelia Schraven, Louis Verlinde, my (graduating) class.
- Sponsorship: chopinchopin
- With the support of: CAMPO, KASK Drama, laGeste, Minard Schouwburg, NTGent, Trefpunt.
Kazemattenstraat 17
9000 Gent
Quinta del Sordo, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesAan de basis van ieder meesterwerk ligt een tragedie, maar ik vraag me af wanneer mijn tragedie komt. Hoe lang moet ik nog wachten op die noodlottige dag die mijn kunstenaarschap zal bepalen? Wie zegt het me? Wie heeft het antwoord? Ben ik de tragedie waarop ik wacht of ben ik de tragedie voor een ander?
Quinta del Sordo schetst een – al dan niet toevallige – ontmoeting tussen twee figuren. De Schilder laat al lang op zich wachten, de Wachter zit al minstens even lang te wachten. Wat volgt is spreken en zwijgen, stilstand en beweging, terugblikken en vooruitkijken. Het wachten is nu voorbij, het is dus logischerwijs tijd voor iets anders.
Van en met
Bjarne Liveyns, Mathisse De Sutter
Geïnspireerd door
De Zwarte Schilderijen van Francisco Goya
Met dank aan
Bauke Lievens, Mario Barrantes Espinoza, Simon De Winne, Bardia
Mohammad, Kato Ooms, Jill Gielkens
REST / RESET / RECOVER, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesRestore your life and find the well-being you deserve.
Welcome to REST / RESET / RECOVER
In a world of constant overstimulation, performance and self-optimisation, our centre offers a controlled environment where you can return to clarity, balance and functional calm.
During your stay, you will be guided by an experienced therapeutic team specialising in neurocognitive reset, emotional regulation and body-oriented correction. Using advanced technologies, breathwork, energetic sessions and gentle neurostimulation, we support the recovery of your system at all levels: mental, physical and emotional.
Your days will be structured for you.
Your choices will be temporarily taken over.
Your attention will be carefully redirected.
Space will be created for a more stable version of yourself.
You need do nothing but be present.
At the end of the process, there is a return to life,
or to a version of it that functions better.
Thank you for your trust.
REST / RESET / RECOVER is a performance in which care and control coincide, and where the boundary between reality and optimisation slowly disappears.
Credits
- By / With: Frieda Vranken and Anouk Lacroix
- Set design: Elias Demuynck
- Music: Jan De Tremerie
- Video: Jonathan Verschaeve
- With thanks to: Bauke Lievens, Simon De Winne, Mario Barrantes Espinoza, Bardia Mohammad, Sophia Bauer, Mina Marechal, Hannes Bulen, Luanda Casella, family and friends
Lost Springs, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesLaten we het verhaal van de anus vertellen. In Lost Springs slikken vijf spelers het tapijt van de beschaving in om met de draden die tussen hun benen uitsteken, de tent voor een nieuw circus te weven. Een eclectisch theaterstuk waarin het alledaags pessimisme van de wereld te lijf wordt gegaan aan de hand van de aars. De aars als anker voor de fictie. De aars als orakel.
Een donkere ruimte. Een dondertrom. Een menselijke aars op een transportkarretje. Het publiek wordt uitgenodigd om hun licht te schijnen op dat wat we normaal verbergen. Een zoektocht naar hoop, plezier en de betekenis van het leven – de schaamte voorbij.
We vinden de semiotiek van de anus terug in alle facetten van de geschiedenis. Van de Middeleeuwse klucht en Mozart tot Freud en Cardi B. De aars als beerput, de aars als butt of the joke, de aars als drift, als platte humor. De vuilpoort van ons heelal. Daar waar alle drek naar buiten komt.
Spelenderwijs overschrijdt de aars alle grenzen, anders dan het hoofd waarvoor grenzen en bezittingen veel betekenen. In tijden van verdeeldheid en preutsheid zeggen wij: communize your anus. Because we all have one. De aars is wat ons verbindt. Open up your anus, let the light shine in. The weapon is modest, but the possibility of action is close by—and infinite. Niet om te provoceren. Of toch wel?
Verwijzend naar ‘Anal Terror’ van Paul B. Preciado
Credits
- Master’s project by: Gudrun Moreau & Milan Mitera
- Cast: Cyrille Bernard Ribel, Anna De Graeve, Milan Mitera, Gudrun Moreau & Seppe Somers
- Practical mentors: Lydia McgLinchey & Jan Steen
- Theoretical mentors: Helena De Preester & Martine Clierieck
- Photography: Nur Lootens
- Graphic design: Maï van Genugten
- Music: Niels Braeckmans
- Costumes: Dille Ach
- Lighting consultancy: Geeraard Respeel
- Props: Milan Mitera & Freya Devel
- Technical support: Bardia Mohammad & Geeraard Respeel
- Dramaturgy: Gudrun Moreau
- Dramaturgical consultancy: Mattis Van Den Branden & Jellie Schippers
- Guiding principles: Anal Terror - Paul B. Preciado, Cannibalist Manifesto - Oswald de Andrade
- With thanks to: KASK & Conservatorium, CAMPO, Bardia Mohammad, Simon De Winne, Bauke Lievens, Kristof Van Baarle, Madonna Lenaert, Luanda Casella, Sébastien Hendrickx & Frederik Leroy, Rinus Martha Chaerle, Dorelia Schraven & the masters of KASK Drama.
Nieuwpoort 31/35
9000 Gent
I LOVE ME(N), KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesHet is niet gemakkelijk om vandaag de dag van mannen te houden. Nog moeilijker is het om dat hardop toe te geven. Maar Dorelia doet het, in de voorstelling I LOVE ME(N). Samen met het publiek gaat ze op zoek naar radicale authenticiteit. Ze is brutaal, nieuwsgierig en ja, ook sexy. Dat laatste is niet het belangrijkst, maar wel waar. Want Dorelia liegt niet.
Verwacht een voorstelling die tot de kern wil komen van haar liefde voor de Man — niet één man, maar het archetype van. Ze zingt, danst, vertelt en bevraagt wat het betekent om naar de liefde van een man te verlangen. En waarom ze juist die liefde zo nodig heeft.
‘Men wordt niet als vrouw geboren, men wordt tot vrouw gemaakt’ schreef Simone de Beauvoir in 1949. Wat betekent het om een vrouw te zijn, een vrouw te spelen, en waar vervaagt de grens tussen die twee.
Dorelia laat zich inspireren door grote denkers zoals: De Beauvoir, Butler en Beyoncé om dichter bij de kern te komen. Ze keert terug naar haar verleden en neemt het publiek mee, man voor man, stap voor stap, langs de verhalen die haar hebben gevormd tot wie ze speelt… euh is.
Credits
- Concept, Performance and Text: Dorelia Schraven
- Under the guidance of: Valentina Tóth
- Music: Robbe Embrechts
- Final Direction: Manizja Kouhestani
- Theoretical Mentor: Wannes Gyselink
- Visuals: Crispin Yanisi
- Special thanks to: Bardia Mohammad, Frederik Le Roy, Simon De Winne, Madonna Lenaert and the organisers of the Amsterdam Kleinkunst Festival
- Artistic but above all emotional support: Melanie Barelds, Rinus Martha Chaerle, Milan Mitera, Gudrun Moreau, Anna de Graeve, Julius Schraven and the other graduating KASK drama students
- Technical support: Lena van Speybroek
- Extra special thanks: All the men in my life – without you, there would be no performance
Kazemattenstraat 17,
9000 Gent
Exiled salvation, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesTo be exiled, deprived from the protection of the law creates freedom for reimagining lawfulness. In 1945 an Egyptian farmer found a jar near the city Nag-Hammadi with a bundle of gnostic Christian scriptures. These were left out of the bible and the writers condemned as heretics. The scriptures invite for a personal experience of faith that departs from inner authority and gives female apostles, one of them Mary Magdalene, a voice. ‘Exiled Salvation’ is an investigation in the motives behind this act of erasing and condemnation, a physical and sonic investigation with music curated by Arend Dever.
Thanks to
- Arend Dever for the music
- Ula Sickle as practical mentor
- Lars Kwakkebos as thesis mentor
- Emma Ostyn as photographer
- Bardia Mohammed for technical support
- Frederik Le Roy as coordinator
- Thanks to my class: Noa Van Dongen, Melanie Barelds, Lander Merckx, Cyrille Ribel, Marte Lambaerts, Lena Dirckx, Roos Degraeve, Tist De Maeyer and Domien Huybrechts.
- Thanks to all the other master’s students: Rinus Martha Chaerle, Alma Rio Cromstege, Milan Mitera, Gudrun Moreau, Dorelia Schraeve and Casper Schoolmeesters.
Do You Remember Revolution?, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesSome stories are too dangerous to repeat.
1830. An opera performance sets Brussels ablaze. The spellbinding sounds of The Mute of Portici spark a revolt against the Dutch occupiers. The Belgian Revolution is a fact.
Almost two centuries later – in a political climate almost as explosive – three fishermen from Portici reclaim their place on the stage. As the opera dictates, they mutiny once more against the occupier. Yet the chains of Romanticism weigh heavily: can the fishermen escape the compelling rhythm of the music? And can the battle against our collective amnesia be won?
Do You Remember Revolution? traces a Belgian history of revolutionary and counter-revolutionary violence. Setting out from the mythical opera, it wanders through the bleak 1980s and the armed resistance of the far left, to arrive at a climate that criminalises activism and anti-fascism. DYRR? questions the legitimacy of armed struggle. Where does the line between resistance and terror lie? Has revolution outlived its political significance? And if so, how do we wish to remember it?
Credits
- concept, direction and text: Rinus Martha Chaerles; cast: Leila Benchorf, Maryam Sserwamukoko and Emma Verstraete
- composition and sound design: Robbe Embrechts; dramaturgy: Jonas Istace
- mentoring: Timeau De Keyser and Séba Hendrickx
- costume design: Trui Van Landuyt
- lighting design: Tijmen Van Damme
- with endless thanks to: Bardia Mohammad, Frederik Le Roy, Simon De Winne and Madonna Lenaert, Daniel Auber and Augustin Scribe, Jana Heirwegh, Thibault Van Dun, Alma Rio Cromstege, Milan Mitera, Dorelia Schraven and my class, and the support of: CAMPO, KASK Drama, laGeste, deAuteurs, PARTS, NTGent, International Opera Academy and HOGENT.
This performance features loud music and bright lights. It deals with bomb attacks and organised violence. Spoken in Dutch. Sung in French. Subtitled in Dutch.
Nieuwpoort 31-35,
9000 Gent
Avondland, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesAvondland is a theatre production that explores the boundary between installation and performance. It is a quest to create a symbiosis between different artistic media. The production is based on the Prose Edda.
The Edda, recorded by Snorri Sturluson, preserves some of the most iconic and poignant stories from Norse mythology. Many of these tales have their origins in ancient pagan traditions. Most of the mythological material appears in the first part of the work, Gylfaginning (“the deception of Gylfi”), which recounts both the creation and the end of the world. An epic theme that resonates strongly with our current times.
Are we ourselves living in an end time? Avondland does not seek a definitive answer, but rather offers a form of hope that can coexist with pessimism, even hand in hand with despair: a hope that arises from pure uncertainty about what the future will bring. A hope of hopeful pessimism.
The story of the Edda offers a mythical framework from which we can reflect with a fresh perspective. It raises questions about the world we live in today, without the ambition of offering a ready-made or definitive explanation.
Language: Dutch
Audience advisory: Blood, Physical violence, Intense light and sound effects, Claustrophobia.
Credits
- Director: Lander Merckx
- Supervision: Kristof van Baarle and Martine Clierieck
- Lighting and set design: Jasper Hardy, Jorun Cocquyt and Lander Merckx
- Choreography: Jenneke Slaets, Lander Merckx and Noor Flamey
- Performers: Jenneke Slaets, Lander Merckx, Max Keustermans and Noor Flamey
- Text: Max Keustermans and Lander Merckx
- Sound design: Thijl Merckx and Lander Merckx
- Live music: Renate Spelmans (bassoon), Erik Bassier (clarinet), Pia Spelmans (violin), Hilde Jonckheere (double bass), Joeri Van Hove and Jean-Pierre Vanhee (trumpet), Martin Lopez (percussion)
- Sponsorship: Ampli and MT rental
- With thanks to: Bardia Mohammad, Frederik Le Roy, Madonna Lenaert, Simon De Winne, Gert Van Hyfte and the KASK Drama students
Arsenaalsite
Brusselsesteenweg 602
9050 Gentbrugge
ONE GONE ROGUE, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesInside an old abbey turned into a self-made green paradise, a group of outcasts live a dream life away from modern society. They collect rainwater and make Bio-Harmonizers. They harvest medicinal herbs and chant together. Their perfect world — built with reused tyres filled with dirt,”total honesty”, and a deep hate for Big Pharma — is a carefully organised home of wax-sealed bottles and nutrient-loop composting. This peaceful life starts to break when their beloved leader, The Boss, stops following the rules and goes rogue.
The group gathers in the Abbey’s cloister to address the crisis: what are they going to do about The Boss? As a tense psychological confrontation erupts, “unspoken truths” take over, quickly turning the meeting into a dangerous mental battle. As they maneuver through their own delusions, their hippie world begins to crack and feel more like a controlled experiment.
Credits
- Performance and text: Maxim Goossens, Fatou Kâ, Bjarne Liveyns, Aniesha Akoua N. Tchimou, Manon Van Ranst
- Guided by: Luanda Casella
- With assistance from: Abigail Gypens
- Special thanks to: Simon De Winne, Bardia Mohammad, Minard, NTGent, Arca Theatre and KASK Drama
LYSISTRATA BOYCOCKTT, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesCruel as only women can be, that's how they are. They look you in the eye and stab you in the chest with a smile.
The performance takes its cue from Lysistrata, the Greek comedy in which women withhold sex to force an end to war. It foregrounds the intimate entanglement of private desire and public power.
Drawing on this starting point, third-year students from KASK & Conservatorium collaborate with actors from Het Scheldeoffensief, guided by Ika Schwander and Sophia Bauer. Together, they ask what resonance such a gesture might have today. Bringing their different bodies, biographies and perspectives into the space, they shape a bold, hybrid piece of theatre. Sharing the stage as a collective, they probe the shifting dynamics between intimacy, power and resistance in the present day.
Dutch spoken
Sint-Baafsplein 17
9000 Gent
Jim, Rock, Tie & Coach, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activitiesFour characters – or are they elements? – find themselves inside a game of which they don’t really know the rules. Nonetheless, they play along. They tremble, jerk, rock their way through vaguely familiar situations and scripts.
“Through the use of reality as a looping moment, the piece reflects the absurdity of a repeated present without progress. It appeals by looping. Repeat, repeat, progress! The body becomes the limitation.” – Coach
“Fragile and bizarre, mixing artificial detachments, the organic machine becomes a mirror in which obsessions emerge.” – Jim
“The characters, manipulating situations, act as characters.” – Rock
“Many characters are corporate stock phrases. With stock phrases the glimmers of differentiation win.Playing with mixing what’s alive and what isn’t. What strikes most upon first viewing is the quality of the gestures highlighted through breathing. The work is arguably scripted.” – Tie
Credits:
- Guided by: Nathan Ooms
- By and with: Giel Luyten, Arnaud Muco, Pepijn Vermeulen & Anton Rys
- Thanks to: Anna Franziska jäger, Simon De Winne, Bardia Mohammad, Danspunt, Trefpunt, KASK Drama.
Passing Through, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activities
"All trans/it long" is an internal transformation that erupts from a festive improvisation. The shared moment stems from a transmission of "Commonstro".
Credits:
- Conception: Milø Slayers
- Performers: Fatou Kâ, Manon Van Ranst, Lena Van Speybrouck, Sainabou Johm and Aniesha Akoua N. Tchimou
- Special thanks: Yasen Vasilev, Anastasia Antoniadi, Chiheb Slaoui, Kim Ramiandrisoa
- Supported by: Stad Gent
Fratersplein 7,
9000 Gent
27.11.25, 20:30
28.11.25, 20:30
29.11.25, 15:00
Dialogen uit De Meester en Margarita, KASK DramadramaAgendaArtistic activities“Als God niet bestaat, blijft toch altijd de vraag bestaan wie dan wél het menselijke bedrijf bestiert, alsmede de gehele op deze aarde bestaande orde.”
When Woland and his grotesque entourage, including a giant talking cat and an eccentric witch, descend on atheistic 1930s Moscow, the city is turned upside down. While Moscow's literary elite panics, a story unfolds that transcends the boundaries of time, reality and humanity.
The Master is imprisoned for his novel about Pontius Pilate, and his beloved does everything in her power to save him and his novel.
Pontius Pilate and Jesus meet before Jesus' execution. Will Pilate intervene, and how long will his conscience haunt him?
In The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov presents an eclectic parade of characters who reject all authority and all forms of control, especially that of reason. Dialogues from The Master and Margarita is an adaptation and selection from Bulgakov's novel, directed by Timeau De Keyser and Hans Mortelmans in collaboration with third-year students from KASK Drama.
As has become customary1 : buckle up, pour yourself a good glass of vodka, bring your Communist Manifesto and your Bible, sit back and enjoy this magical, biblical, Russian adventure.
Dutch spoken.
Credits
- Cast: Mathisse De Sutter, Lotus Friede, Winand Keymis, Anouk Lacroix, Bjarne Liveyns, Giel Luyten, Mina Maréchal, Anton Rys, Pepijn Vermeulen and Frieda Vranken
- Coaching/Direction: Timeau De Keyser and Hans Mortelmans
- Text: The Master and Margarita (1940), Mikhail Bulgakov, translated to Dutch by Marko Fondse and Aai Prins, selected and adapted by Timeau De Keyser and Hans Mortelmans
- Poster image: Bjarne Liveyns
- Image of tram: Van den Bossche, P. 2011, Gent tram to Moscou
- Thanks to: KASK Drama, Minard, Simon De Winne, Bardia Mohammad
1 See De Kersentuin
20.11.25, 20:00
21.11.25, 20:00
22.11.25, 15:00
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