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WE DON'T SPEAK TO BE UNDERSTOOD

Benjamin Verdonck, KVS, Toneelhuis, CAMPO, Pieter Ampe

“In WE DON'T SPEAK TO BE UNDERSTOOD, Verdonck and Ampe put their most mischievous foot forward to the sound of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to perform, dance and trip a nimble ode to camaraderie …. In these bleak times, this duo goes for absurd agility. It feels like a swig of fresh mineral water on a sultry, hot summer day. “- Els Van Steenberghe in Knack Focus***, 29 April 2015

Toneelhuis-maker Benjamin Verdonck and dancer cum theatre­maker Pieter Ampe have made an idiosyncratic show together. On stage the seasons file past, but not always as one would expect. What sort of impact do these ever-changing circumstances have on them? Will they stand their ground amidst those changes, or will they always be the plaything of the increasing chaos? In this visual performance Verdonck and Ampe are sceneshifter and object, singer and dancer.

WE DON’T SPEAK TO BE UNDERSTOOD is a disconcerting concertante with a marvellous, unending epilogue which leaves the audience feeling abandoned and helpless.

“I am arguing that the Theatre of the Absurd is not about absurdity,
but about making life meaningful given our absurd situation.” 
(Michael Bennett - Reassessing the Theatre of the Absurd)

WE DON’T SPEAK TO BE UNDERSTOOD is a cross between hilarious slapstick and poetic imagination.” - Moos Van den Broek at Theaterkrant.nl****, 23 April 2015

WE DON'T SPEAK TO BE UNDERSTOOD relies on contrast. The refined and cultivated performer Verdonck versus the rough and rugged primordial man Ampe, down whose wild beard clear honey runs in golden rays…. Pieter Ampe and Benjamin Verdonck show, with almost nothing, the uneasy relation that the ‘civilized’ West has with the rest of the ‘uncivilized' world.”  - Evelyne Coussens in De Morgen***, 27 April 2015

by and with

  • Peter Seynaeve
  • Pieter Ampe
  • Louise Crabbé
  • Korneel Coessens
  • Iwan Van Vlierberghe
  • Benjamin Verdonck

production

  • CAMPO
  • Toneelhuis
  • KVS

coproduction

  • La Bâtie, Festival de Genève
  • BIT Teatergarasjen

All data

There are no upcoming activities for this event.

  1. Thursday 23 April 2015 — 21h30 — CAMPO nieuwpoort, Gent
  2. Friday 24 April 2015 — 21h30 — CAMPO nieuwpoort, Gent
  3. Saturday 25 April 2015 — 21h30 — CAMPO nieuwpoort, Gent
  4. Tuesday 28 April 2015 — 21h30 — KVS - BOX, Brussel
  5. Wednesday 29 April 2015 — 21h30 — KVS - BOX, Brussel
  6. Thursday 30 April 2015 — 21h30 — KVS - BOX, Brussel
  7. Friday 1 May 2015 — 21h30 — KVS - BOX, Brussel
  8. Saturday 2 May 2015 — 21h30 — KVS - BOX, Brussel
  9. Wednesday 6 May 2015 — 21h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  10. Thursday 7 May 2015 — 21h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  11. Friday 8 May 2015 — 21h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  12. Saturday 9 May 2015 — 21h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  13. Saturday 9 May 2015 — 21h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  14. Sunday 10 May 2015 — 16h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  15. Tuesday 26 May 2015 — Spring Festival, Utrecht
  16. Wednesday 27 May 2015 — Spring Festival, Utrecht
  17. Tuesday 2 June 2015 — 21h00 — Potsdamer Tanztage, Potsdam
  18. Wednesday 3 June 2015 — 22h00 — Potsdamer Tanztage, Potsdam
  19. Saturday 6 June 2015 — Wiener Festwochen, Wenen
  20. Sunday 7 June 2015 — Wiener Festwochen, Wenen
  21. Monday 8 June 2015 — Wiener Festwochen, Wenen
  22. Tuesday 9 June 2015 — Wiener Festwochen, Wenen
  23. Friday 14 August 2015 — Theaterfestival Boulevard, Den Bosch - s Hertogenbosch
  24. Saturday 15 August 2015 — Theaterfestival Boulevard, Den Bosch - s Hertogenbosch
  25. Wednesday 19 August 2015 — SAAL Biennale, Tallinn
  26. Thursday 20 August 2015 — SAAL Biennale, Tallinn
  27. Monday 31 August 2015 — La Bâtie, festival de Genève, Genève
  28. Tuesday 1 September 2015 — La Bâtie, festival de Genève, Genève
  29. Saturday 5 September 2015 — 22h00 — Homo Novus Festival, Riga
  30. Saturday 5 September 2015 — 22h45 — Homo Novus Festival, Riga
  31. Sunday 6 September 2015 — 22h00 — Homo Novus Festival, Riga
  32. Sunday 6 September 2015 — 22h45 — Homo Novus Festival, Riga
  33. Wednesday 30 September 2015 — Sirenos festival, Vilnius
  34. Thursday 1 October 2015 — Sirenos festival, Vilnius
  35. Saturday 21 November 2015 — Salzburger Festspiele, Salzburg
  36. Wednesday 6 January 2016 — Theater Rotterdam, Rotterdam
  37. Tuesday 19 January 2016 — Jonge Harten, Groningen
  38. Thursday 21 January 2016 — 19h30 — Festival Actoral, Marseille
  39. Friday 22 January 2016 — 21h00 — Festival Actoral, Marseille
  40. Friday 5 February 2016 — CC De Schakel, Waregem
  41. Saturday 13 February 2016 — De Grote Post, Oostende
  42. Thursday 3 March 2016 — CC De Velinx, Tongeren
  43. Friday 4 March 2016 — 30CC/Schouwburg, Leuven
  44. Wednesday 11 May 2016 — C-mine/Grote zaal, Genk
  45. Friday 7 October 2016 — Festival Actoral, Marseille
  46. Saturday 8 October 2016 — Festival Actoral, Marseille
  47. Friday 28 October 2016 — BIT Teatergarasjen (Bergen, NO), Mons
  48. Saturday 29 October 2016 — BIT Teatergarasjen (Bergen, NO), Mons
  49. Sunday 4 December 2016 — Burning Ice Festival, Kaaitheater, Brussel, Brussel
  50. Monday 5 December 2016 — 20h30 — Kaaitheater, Brussel
  51. Friday 10 March 2017 — Théâtre Garonne, Toulouse

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