Desire

Desire is set in the transition from night to day, from dark to light. What thoughts and doubts come into play in what is often called the 'blue hour'? What unfulfilled desires?  

Using a newly written text as the starting point, Louis Janssens is on stage with three actors. Four lonely souls bring us with them into their personal thoughts, their desire to experience something, to be touched. They share what they normally dare not show even to each other.  

Biographical experiences are interwoven with snapshots about universal forms of love, the history of gay bars and the energy of friendship. They talk, stammer, sing and move restlessly across the empty stage. The yearning for connection is made palpable in a playful and personal way. Playful, intimate and very relatable. 

“The way Louis Janssens stages his vulnerability here is impressive. It proves how skilled he is, and knows how to play his medium and metier.” (**** De Morgen on Serenade) 

• Louis Janssens graduated from Drama, KASK Ghent, in 2018. Between 2012 and 2022, he was part of the two-headed collective Desnor with Ferre Marnef. On his own, he is also active, for instance as creator of the musical solo Serenade. His work can be seen in theatres and festivals in Flanders and the Netherlands. He organised and curated the one-off performances Listen to your heart and Year for the festivals LafS#5 and LafS#6. As a guest lecturer, he is involved in the acting courses at HKU (Utrecht) and Antwerp Conservatoire. Louis Janssens previously showed his graduation work The Greatest Show on Earth (2019) at Kaaitheater and was on the programme last year with Analoog, a performance with Willem de Wolf (De Hoe). Desire is made with a group of young queer actors. 

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