One Song
Histoire(s) du Théâtre IV
What is your history as a theatre maker? At NTGent's invitation, Miet Warlop has come up with a response. She is the fourth director in the 'Histoire(s) du Théâtre' series – after Milo Rau, Faustin Linyekula and Angélica Liddell – to take up the challenge of creating a work in which present, past and future meet in a surprising way. 'One Song' is set in the universe of Warlop, where a group of performers enter the arena for a mesmerising ritual about farewell, life and death, hope and rebirth.
Using the metaphor of a live match, including commentator and cheerleader, Miet Warlop invites us to form a community and transcend beyond ourselves as in a celebration. The temporary thus becomes the universal and the personal becomes a collective something. That is the subtext of 'One Song': how one song can give meaning to an entire society. Unity in diversity.
Together, the performers take it to extremes and with sung text, images and objects, oxygen and sweat, they evoke our condition humaine. Time and again, someone stands up to push a boundary. They defy time and express a deep human need, that moment when we can transcend our thinking body.
• Miet Warlop studied three-dimensional art at KASK in Ghent. In her work, she strings together images into stunning tableaux vivants. She has been on the Kaaitheater programme with several performances, including 'Springville' (2010), 'Ghost Writer and the Broken Hand Break' (2019, 2022) and 'One Song' (2022), which, after CC Strombeek, we are now reprising at Théâtre National.
with Simon Beeckaert, Elisabeth Klinck, Willem Lenaerts, Milan Schudel, Melvin Slabbinck, Joppe Tanghe, Karin Tanghe, Wietse Tanghe | and Stanislas Bruynseels, Rint Dens, Judith Engelen, Marius Lefever, Luka Mariën, Flora Van Canneyt, Jarne Van Loon | text Miet Warlop | advised by Jeroen Olyslaegers | concept, direction & set design Miet Warlop | music Maarten Van Cauwenberghe | sound design Bart Van Hoydonck, Raf Willems | costume design Carol Piron & Filles à Papa | light design Dennis Diels | dramaturgy Giacomo Bisordi | assistant dramaturgy Kaatje De Geest | translation lyrics Erik Borgman | production management Greet Prové | technical production & stage manager Oliver Houttekiet | assistant production & tour manager Elli De Meyer | technique Flup Beys, Dietrich Lerooij, Gilles Roosen, Bart Van Hoydonck, Raf Willems, Laurent Ysebaert, Pieter Kinoli, John Hellinx | realisation, props & costumes Ateliers NTGent | thanks to Kris Auman, Imran Alam, Barbara Vackier, Jasper Hautekiet, de familie Warlop, Rossana Miele, Lotte Van Craeynest, Christel Simons, Patrick Vanderhaegen, Diana Campbell | production NTGent, Miet Warlop / Irene Wool vzw | coproduction Festival d'Avignon, DE SINGEL (Antwerp), Tandem Scène Nationale (Arras-Douai), Théâtre Dijon Bourgogne Centre dramatique national, HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, La Comédie de Valence - Centre dramatique national Drôme - Ardèche, Teatre Lliure (Barcelona) | with support of De Vlaamse Overheid, de stad Gent, Tax Shelter van de Belgische Federale Overheid | with the help of Frans Brood Productions
