The power of theatrical madness
The power of theatrical madness
In 2012 it will be thirty years since the theatre-maker and artist Jan Fabre made his quite remarkable entrance into Flemish theatre history with his eight-hour show This is theatre like it was to be expected and foreseen. Two years later he conquered international stages with The power of theatrical madness. To celebrate this anniversary there will be a rerun of both productions with a completely new cast.
Even more than in This is theatre like it was to be expected and foreseen, in The power of theatrical madness Jan Fabre questions the medium of theatre (and also opera and dance). At the same time he links the theatre of that time (1984) – and especially his own theatre work – with the theatrical heritage, tradition and the canon of art history.
Once again the performance is divided into several scenes or acts. Hans Christian Andersen’s story of the Emperor's new clothes is one of the threads that connects the scenes. Appearance, the emperor’s pretence, is a metaphor for the illusion, the lie of theatre. Indeed, Fabre chose to stage this performance in the red plush and tinsel of the great conventional theatres to make the contrast between the hypocrisy and frivolity of this setting and the authenticity and the discipline of the performers on stage as great as possible. As an artist, Fabre was only too well aware of the pressures of 'the market' on his art and the danger of his work being ‘claimed’. Once again the question arises of how the present time will transform or colour our perception of this performance. A time in which ‘the market’ determines each and every aspect of our lives.
Original credits : concept, direction, light, scenography, choreography Jan Fabre | music Wim Mertens, Soft Verdict | original cast Ingrid Dalmeyer, Els Deceukelier, Roberto De Jonge, Marion Delforge, Marc Hallemeersch, Peter De Smet, Katinka Maes, Erwin Kokkelkoren, David Riley, Werner Strouven, Wim Vandekeybus, Annamirl Van Der Pluym, Marc Van Overmeir, Paul Vervoort, Philippe Vansweefelt | costumes Pol Engels, Jan Fabre | technique Bruno Aertsen, Maart Veldman | production manager Geert Van Goethem | artistic direction Tijs Visser | coordination Hugo De Greef, Ritsaert Ten Cate | production Projekt 3 (Antwerp), Mickery (Amsterdam), Kaaitheater 85 (Brussels) | co-production Festival De Lille (Lille), Theatre Gerard Philippe (Paris) |
Credits re-run : concept, direction, light, scenography, choreography Jan Fabre | music Wim Mertens, Soft Verdict |new cast Kasper Vandenberghe, Maria Dafneros, Piet Defrancq, Melissa Guerin, Nelle Hens, Sven Jakir, Carlijn Koppelmans, Georgios Kotsifakis, Dennis Makris, Lisa May, Giulia Perelli, Gilles Polet, Pietro Quadrino, Merel Severs, Nicolas Simeha | assistent director Miet Martens, Renee Copraij | costumes Katarzyna Mielczarek| Technical Direction Thomas Vermaercke, Geert Vanderauwera | Production Manager Helmut Van den Meersschaut | Singing Coach Hans Peter Janssens | Tango Instructors Tango Argentino, Marisa Van Andel & Oliver Koch | Internships Giulio Boato, Yorrith Debakker, Zafeiria Dimitropoulou | Styling Savagan Brussels | Production Troubleyn/Jan Fabre vzw co-production rerun 2012 deSingel (Antwerp), Romaeuropa Festival, Rome.
