photography Tina Herbots
Bitte Kontrolle, Kontrolle Bitte
Scenography and costumes for a performance of theaterwerkplaats Nest.
2017
Man wants control. Both feet on the ground. Control means clarity. Overview. Peace. We take unexpected happenings into account, or try to cleverly avoid them. In a world where fear plays a prominent role, control, security and rules seem to be our solution.
In the midst of a hard reality, we choose with gentle violence, with courage and with open eyes for the lightness of our existence. We are going for the free fall. No rules, no waterproof script. An ode to chance.
Every show is different. We depend on each other, the audience, the moment. Small coincidences sometimes lead to absurd situations. Major coincidences of life are carefully investigated. Are they truly coincidental or not?
Credits
Evelyne Benbassat, Jelle Dens, Lena Gevaerts, Merlijn Lamsens, Wim Landuyt, Leonie Maes, Milan Van Bortel, Anaïs Wouters, Kato Wouters (acting, research and concept) Jonas Van den Bossche (music), Astrid Bode (scenography and costumes), Hanneke Reiziger (dramaturgy), Soraya Rademaker (coordination and directing), Piet van Deun (light), Jens Vanoosterweyck (production), Betül Brein (grafic design).
Theaterwerkplaats NEST
NEST is a theater workshop where young people between the age of 14 and 21 can develop their passion for theater. Experienced trainers and theater makers offer youngsters a three-year intensive theater course, introducing them to acting, performance, sound, image and movement. In the third year a creation is made.
Scenography
For the scenography of Bitte Kontrolle, Kontrolle Bitte I searched for material chance. It was an exercise in paradoxical thinking. How do you stage chance? Staging implies making choices. Chance does not want to be devised in advance. It exists and doesn’t exist. I like the concept of chance in the way the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben describes the goddess Tyche in his book Adventure (2016): "Tyche is the moon, because she is in charge of all the bodies that are subject to accidental changes. Tyche isn’t merely chance: maybe it seems like a contradiction, but she also is fate and necessity. She truly is the power ‘of many names’, that controls the lives and fortunes of the people in every area. "