I have no thoughts, and this is one of them

I will never befriend a penguin.
I will not be bitten by a snake.
I will not be touched by God.
I will never acquire a look.
I will not be circumcised.
I will not be owned.

Last season’s surprise was the debut by Tine Van Aerschot, who until then was known in the little world of theatre as a graphic designer who worked on productions by Meg Stuart and others. Van Aerschot made her debut as a writer and director with a play that was subtle and at times enchanting, performed to perfection by the English actress Claire Marshall.

A woman on an almost empty stage. She lists what she does not want, what she does not want to happen to her, what she will not do... a litany of oaths and resolutions, a stream of near-thoughts, near-comments and near-questions.

I have no thoughts, and this is one of them starts out from the pettiness and futility of human experiences and frustrations and from there looks for the universal and the general. A script that wanders through past, present and future and puts the accent on the changing meaning of things.

The collaboration between Tine Van Aerschot and Claire Marshall grew organically. Van Aerschot, an artist by training, has done production work and graphic design for Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods, Christine De Smedt and others. Claire Marshall has always been an actress and is a co-author in the English Forced Entertainment company. Luc Schaltin trained as a photographer and is a lighting and sound technician at the Kaaitheater. He has designed lighting for Raimund Hoghe, Jan Decorte and others.