In 700 BC, the Greek poet Hesiodos wrote down a series of suggestions about the art of agriculture for his brother. This letter, titled ‘Works and Days’ (Werken en dagen), became a Farmer’s Almanac in verse form that combines agricultural advice with a guide to life in general.
FC Bergman is adopting Hesiodos’ title for its own reflection on living on (and with) the land. A life lived according to the rhythm of the seasons, the laws of the earth and the customs of the community that cultivates it. A new age, however, with new possibilities and desires, is making its way in this fragile marriage between humans and the earth.
Whereas FC Bergman’s production The Sheep Song (2021) was a paean to the freedom of the individual and the manipulability of life, Werken en dagen is a veritable ode to the unstoppable power of the group and the boundless power of nature. Although in a way it also – and inevitably – becomes an elegy.
Whereas FC Bergman’s production The Sheep Song (2021) was a paean to the freedom of the individual and the manipulability of life, Werken en dagen is a veritable ode to the unstoppable power of the group and the boundless power of nature. Although in a way it also – and inevitably – becomes an elegy.
With Werken en dagen, FC Bergman once again pushes back frontiers. Their superb swansong for collective farming is already the ecological wake-up call of the season. (...) You see the paintings of Bruegel and Permeke, of Claus and Millet, but especially of FC Bergman. As such, Werken en dagen is a classic example of imaginative representation.
"With Werken en dagen , theatre company FC Bergman reflects on the loss of the farming way of life and the need for connection. The wordless performance brims with clever theatrical images that also often hurt. (...) FC Bergman dishes up artfully constructed painterly scenes, but their intent is far from casual. With every scene, you ponder its meaning."
"FC Bergman once again provides spectacle with exciting images about the relation between people and farming (...) The seasons follow one another, and the rites of passage of human beings also come into focus. Birth, growing up, living together, death. All of this is inventively portrayed, with references to iconic paintings and sculptures.… The images are often pregnant with meaning, technically surprising and ingenious."
"Over the years, FC Bergman has perfected the art of representation. Visuals, lighting and music are employed with breathtaking effectiveness (and the requisite humour) (...) Werken en dagen is a magnificently designed warning about the loss of community."
"I’m mesmerised, there are so many dimensions to this community and I’m engaged every time we go deeper into their workings. They do horrible and beautiful acts with equal measure, they’re focused and determined because of an implicit awareness of something greater than themselves."
direction, scenario, scenography
- Stef Aerts
- Joé Agemans
- Thomas Verstraeten
- Marie Vinck
performers
- Stef Aerts
- Joé Agemans
- Maryam Sserwamukoko
- Thomas Verstraeten/Yorrith De Bakker
- Marie Vinck
- Fumiyo Ikeda/Sigrid Vinks
- Geert Goossens
- Roos Janssens/Susan De Ceuster/Bonnie Elias
musical composition and live performance
- Joachim Badenhorst
- Sean Carpio
costume design
- An D'Huys
light design
- Stef Aerts
- Joé Agemans
- Ken Hioco
production
- Toneelhuis
- FC Bergman
coproduction
- Piccolo Teatro di Milano - Teatro d'Europa
- Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg
with the support of
- de Tax Shelter maatregel v/d Belgische federale overheid via Gallop Tax Shelter
