Visitors programme shakespeare is dead
From 22 to 26 February 2022, Leuven (Belgium) will host Shakespeare is dead, an international festival for contemporary playwriting. With a year’s delay, due to COVID-19, the festival will delve deeper into the state of the theatre text in today’s world with a handpicked selection of 10 new international texts and 11 new texts from Dutch and Belgian authors. Though the Great Bard may be long gone, playwriting is very much alive and kicking.
Shakespeare Is Dead is an international festival with some of the most interesting voices in Dutch and Belgian theatre. Get to know the finest new creations from a new generation of Dutch-speaking playwrights during the three days of our international visitors programme on 23, 24 and 25 February.
Playwrights to discover:
The selected international texts are by Aristide Tarnagda (Burkina Faso),Chelsea Woolley (Canada), Si’an Chen (China), Maria Milisavljevic (Germany), Pipsa Lonka (Finland), Edouard Elvis Bvouma (Cameroon), Jeton Neziraj (Kosovo), Simona Semenic (Slovenia), Jasmine Lee-Jones (UK) and Sami Ibrahim (UK). Their texts are translated into dutch, but also presented in their original language during living room readings at the homes of the Leuven international community.
Also, eleven new plays by Dutch and Flemish playwrights will be presented in staged readings throughout the three days of your visit. These works are written by Vera Morina, Eric De Vroedt, Frank Siera, BOG., Michaël Bijnens, Anna Carlier, Dounia Mahammed, De HOE, Stijn Devillé, Nico Boon and Freek Mariën. The readings take place in English. German and French translations will be available.
What do we offer?
You can connect with authors during networking lunches and walk-the-talk sessions: get to know them better in an informal setting and strengthen the international bonds.
In addition, debates and roundtable discussions will allow you to elaborate on issues such as translation practices and international transfers. And there is more: stage performances of new plays, scratch nights, pitch sessions for aspiring writers…
In short, Shakespeare is dead is the essential festival for any lover of contemporary theatre texts and a unique opportunity to discover contemporary Dutch-language ànd international playwriting.
Flanders Literature, Flanders Arts Institute, Performing Arts Fund NL and theater company Het nieuwstedelijk hope to have you as our guest.
The festival takes place from February 22-26. You are very welcome to attend the entire festival. We offer an extra programme for international professionals within the festival:
Programme
Wednesday, February 23rd
12.00 – 13.45 | Arrival and lunch – Foyer schouwburg, Leuven
14.00 – 16.00 | optional: Translator’s roundtable (ENG) – OPEK Leuven
14.00 – 16.15 (continuous) | optional: Walk The Talk: a visit to M – Museum Leuven, Artefact STUK or the city, together with a writer
16.30 – 18.30 | Staged readings and talk with authors Dutch selection (ENG) – OPEK Leuven
- Vera Morina – Volim Te
- DE HOE (Wannes Ghyselinck & Ans Van den Eede) – Vanish Beach
- Stijn Devillé – Yellow Vest
20.00 – 22.00 | Theatre performance Man in de Mist (Het nieuwstedelijk, English surtitles) – OPEK Leuven
22u00 – … | optional: Night Cap – Audiocrusaders dj-set – OPEK Leuven
Thursday, February 24th
9.30 | Welcome with coffee – OPEK Leuven
10.00 – 12.00 | Staged readings and talk with authors Dutch selection (ENG) – OPEK Leuven
- Michael Bijnens – In Search of Skin
- Frank Siera – Ongerijmd
- Nico Boon – 21.02.2021, the world in one day, one day in the world.
12.15 – 14.00 | Networking Lunch with authors, translators and other professionals – Noordoever, Leuven
14.00 – 19.00 (continuous) | optional: Walk The Talk: a visit to M – Museum Leuven, Artefact STUK or the city, together with a writer
14.30 – 16.00 | optional: Debate on intercultural transfers (ENG) – Foyer schouwburg, Leuven
16.30-18.30 | Staged readings and talk with authors international selection (In Dutch, surtitled in the original language) – OPEK Leuven
- Aristide Tarnagda – Façons d’aimer (FR)
- Maria Milisavljevic – Beben (DE)
- Edouard Elvis Bvouma – Not koko’s notes (FR)
20.00-22.00| Theatre performance 21.02.2021, the world in one day, one day in the world (Nico Boon, ENG spoken) – OPEK Leuven
22.00 – … | optional: Night Cap – Audiocrusaders dj-set – OPEK Leuven
Friday, February 25th
9.30 | Welcome with coffee – OPEK Leuven
10.00 – 12.00 | Staged readings and talk with authors from the Dutch & international selection – OPEK Leuven
- Anna Carlier – Hide (ENG)
- Dounia Mahammed – Salut Copain (ENG)
- Jasmine Lee-Jones – Seven Methods of killing Kylie Jenner (Dutch translation, English surtitles) – OPEK Leuven
12.15 – 13.40 | Networking lunch – Foyer schouwburg, Leuven
14.00 – 16.00 | Staged readings and talk with authors Dutch selection – OPEK Leuven
- Eric de Vroedt – The Nation
- Bog (Lisa Verbelen, Sanne Vanderbruggen, Judith de Joode, Roos Eeuwe, Benjamin Moen) – MEN.
- Freek Mariën – Waiting and Other Heroïc Acts
16.00 – 17.00 | The state of the (young) playwright with Lot Vekemans & Anouk Friedli (ENG Surtitles)– OPEK Leuven
17.00 – 19.00 | Reception– OPEK rotonde, Leuven
20.00 – 22.00 | Theatre performance DAVID, of hoe we ons bedacht hebben (de KOE, Hof van Eede, De Nwe Tijd, ENG surtitled) – Schouwburg, Leuven
22.00 – … | Night Cap – Audiocrusaders dj-set – OPEK Leuven
Registration
Register here before February 4
Partners
fABULEUS
WiSPER
Theater Bellevue
deBuren
LUCA Drama
KULeuven
30CC
Kunstenpunt
Literatuur Vlaanderen
Dutch Performing Arts
Leuven Leest
Stad Leuven
OPENDOEK
Creatief Schrijven
PassaPorta
Toneelschrijfhuis
Het nieuwstedelijk
