Pieter De Buysser and Hans Op de Beeck
History is at an impasse. No revolutions are taking place. What else can one say? A play about forgetting and forgiving, about knowledge and riddles, and about the absence of story. In the form of a cat, we follow the story of a man who completely lights up when his daughter immerses herself in a chest. Perhaps it is fiction. But it might also be a political, even utopian play, because it wagers on the magical possibilities of language and radical imagination. Book Burning is not what it is, but that which it might be: an impetus for the start of a new world. Writer, essayist and performer Pieter De Buysser and visual artist Hans Op de Beeck have created a poetic performance with strong political contents. A cabinet of curiosities in a world overloaded with information. What can WikiLeaks and Edward Snowden do for poetry? You can't know the facts until you see the fiction. In English with Czech subtitles.
"The alliance of the poetics and politics here is simply magical”
(Le temps, CH)
"Accessible, brilliant and all things considered significant in contemporary thought, this is a must-see show!"
(Laure Dasinière,FR)
Pieter De Buysser is a Dutch-speaking writer, he lives and works in Brussels. His novel “The stonecutters” will be published in Czech by Argo in June 2016, he has written over 25 texts for theater and performance. His work received critical acclaim in several European countries. “A phenomenon in Flemish theater”, “a 22nd century story-teller”. His work has been descirbed as “A tribute to critical thought, humour, and the art of narration” (Cobra, Belgium)wherin “the alliance of poetics and the politics are simply magical”. (Le temps, Switzerland, “Accesible, briljant and significant in contemporary thought” (Le nouvel observateur, France).
Besides writing for performance, theater and film he directs internationally acclaimed theaterproductions like Book Burning, Landscape with Skiproads, Afzal and most recently Immerwahr. His shortfilms have been awarded on numerous filmfestivals. While being highly alert of current social, political and human issues, he constantly reflects and questions our day-to-day presence. A coproduction project with Archa Theatre The After Party explores the legacy of Vaclav Havel on the backdrop of today´s Europe. He has received the Emile Zola Price, the "Dwarse Denker" Trophy and the "Kleine Marie Hartman-pen". His shows are regulary invited on the most influential festivals throughout Europe.
His texts are published and/or performed in English, German, Dutch, French, Polish, Italian and Mandarin.
Credits
Concept: Pieter De Buysser & Hans Op de Beeck
Image: Hans Op de Beeck
Text & play: Pieter De Buysser
Lightdesign & technician: Herman Sorgeloos
Dramaturgy: Marianne Van Kerkhoven (Kaaitheater)
Production: Hiros
Coproduction Richard Jordan Productions Ltd (UK), Big in Belgium (BE), LIFT fetsival (UK), Theatre Royal Plymouth in association with Summerhall (UK) , Kaaitheater (BE), Stuk (BE), Bit Teatergarasjen (NO) and HAU Hebbel am Ufer (DE), Teater Avant Garden (NO), Archa Theatre (CZ) - Project co-produced by NXTSTP, with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union
With the support of Koninklijke Bibliotheek België, Göteborgs Dance & Teater Festival, The Flemish Government
