[meeuw]

“We need new forms. We need new forms, and if they don't come, then we'd rather have nothing at all” - Konstantin Gavrilovich Trepljov in The Seagull 

In [meeuw] ([seagull]), a mixed cast of deaf and hearing actors performs a repertoire text translated into and performed in its entirety in Flemish Sign Language for the first time. 

The starting point is Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (1896), one of the greatest and most tender theatrical texts in literary history, about a truth-seeking youth with new ideas and an older generation that feels threatened by them. A story about the longing for the past and the desire for a free life. Love and desire as a devastating driving force during a family reunion. 

"This ‘[meeuw]’ does justice to Chekhov in such an original way by using sign language as a richly expressive instrument that erases the distinction between those who have hearing loss and those who do not. All of the actors are standing on stage, with similar weapons. When Stijn Van Opstal conceived a play in sign language, it seemed like a real gamble. However, thanks to the efforts of the actors, accompanists, and interpreters, it became a total triumph. This is simply a very good performance of one of the most moving texts in theatre history. Stijn Van Opstal gambled and won." – Johan Thielemans in Pzazz , 18 November 2024

• Olympique Dramatique is a theatre collective, with actors and makers Tom Dewispelaere and Stijn Van Opstal as core members. Ben Segers and Geert Van Rampelberg were also involved in the foundation of the company in 1999, which started as an autonomous collective of actors: they worked without a director, but with kindred spirits in changing constellations. Olympique Dramatique likes to tell stories for a large audience, and with the largest possible group of actors, from different generations. Van Opstal and Dewispelaere still see the performance of people at play as the most powerful and moving gesture you can make with theatre. In terms of text choice, they often return to classical repertoire – such as the recent Waiting for Godot (2020) and Enemy of the People (2022).