Modesta (play of language and lips)

In this work, this play of language and lips, five performers search for Modesta. Who is she? A fantasy, a character whose allure relies on the possibility of her being real, tangible. A young girl who grows up by learning how to turn pain into pleasure. A woman who twists the rules of language and social convention. A sphinx-like character, mysterious, because we cannot grasp the source of her agility. Modesta emerges in many guises, through words and movement, and asks us to follow her.  

Ooms & Jäger work from a preference for non-theatrical, eclectic text material and a distinctly physical approach to acting. In Modesta (play of language and lips), they loosely take on the coming-of-age genre together with performers Rosie Sommers, Christine De Smedt and Arthur Loontjens. The title refers to the main character of Goliarda Sapienza's book The Art of Joy, written in the 1960s (but not published until three decades later). This literary Modesta inspires by how her uncompromising desire, willpower and joy challenged the morality of her time. 

• Anna Franziska Jäger (1996, she/her) and Nathan Ooms (1996, he/him) met at KASK's drama course. A close collaboration developed there, with works such as Bartlebabe (2020) and Ambient Theatre Fury (2022), both shown at Kaaitheater. They share authorship, play in each other's or others' projects, can be seen in films (Anna Franziska) or dance performances (Nathan). They wrote the State of the Youth at the opening of the Theatre Festival a few years ago. Both are part of the performance platform Ne Mosquito Pas. For this production, they gathered collaborators from their area (KASK / PARTS / Ne Mosquito Pas): performers Rosie Sommers, Christine De Smedt and Arthur Loontjens, and scenographer/costume designer and creator Carly Rae Heathcote.