From 7-30 August 2026, the Edinburgh International Festival will present theatre, dance, music and opera by acclaimed and exceptional artists in their field. This is the fourth edition to be directed by violinist Nicola Benedetti and will feature 147 performances, including five world premieres and eight works commissioned by the festival itself. The theme of the programme for 2026 is ‘All Rise’, a rallying cry for collaboration and resilience.

on tour internationally
Before the summer arrives, [meeuw] can still be seen in Belgium in Namen on 19, 20 and 21 March, and then it will have its French premiere in Valence on 27, 28 and 29 April 2026.

To make the show also internationally accessible for various deaf audiences, the company collaborates with academics and artists from local deaf communities. In each country, [meeuw] is surtitled in the national language, while parts of the show are also translated into the local sign language.

In Namen and Valence, for example, the show is not only accompanied by French surtitles, but the key scenes are also performed in Walloon and French sign language respectively.

For Edinburgh, too, besides surtitles in English, the key scenes of [meeuw] will be translated into British Sign Language (BSL). To help work on this translation, several deaf translators and a deaf theatre maker from Edinburgh will come to Antwerp during the reprise of [meeuw] in the Bourla on 12, 13 and 14 May 2026.

director Stijn Van Opstal:
"The fact that we can tour internationally with [meeuw] brings us further recognition, and at the same time it’s an indescribable gift. It gives us the opportunity to work with deaf academics and deaf artists from different communities in Europe. It’s a meaningful step for our company, but especially meaningful for our deaf artists, who can connect internationally with kindred spirits for the first time in this way.” 

[meeuw]
Olympique Dramatique | Toneelhuis, theater arsenaal
[meeuw] is the first repertoire play to be translated and performed in Flemish Sign Language by a mixed cast of deaf and hearing actors.
The show is based on Anton Chekhov’s De Meeuw (The Seagull, 1896), one of the greatest and most poignant plays in literary history, about young people searching for meaning with new ideas and an older generation that feels threatened by them. It is a story about nostalgia for the past and the desire for a free life, told from the perspective of three different generations. Love and desire as destructive impulses during a family reunion. A comedy in four acts, according to the Russian author himself. 
The cast is a mix of deaf and hearing players: Yousra Boukantar, Sofie Decleir, Tom Dewispelaere, Lobke Leirens, Lut Reysen, Willy Thomas, Serge Vlerick and Yana Wuytjens. With Flemish Sign Language as a starting point, they search for a common language: the gesture. 

awards
Selected for Het TheaterFestival (Flanders) 2025
Selected for the Nederlands Theater Festival (Netherlands) 2025
Nominated for the Theaterprijzen 2025 (Theatre Awards, Belgium) in the category ‘most highly regarded ensemble performance’
Winner of the Theo d’Or 2025 (Netherlands) in the category ‘most pioneering stage performance’ (first in Belgium)
Winner of De Hand van Vlaanderen Award 2025, presented by Deaf Flanders in the category ‘professional of the year’

tour
19-21 March 2026, Théâtre de Namur (BE)
27-29 April 2026, La Comédie de Valence (FR)
5 May 2026, CC De Spil, Roeselaere (BE)
7 May 2026, CC De Factorij, Zaventem (BE)
12-14 May 2026, Toneelhuis (Bourla), Antwerpen (BE)
7-11 August 2026, Edinburgh International Festival (GB)