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Zeg aan de kinderen dat wij niet deugen

Toneelhuis, Behoud de Begeerte, Guy Cassiers, Luc Coorevits, Leonard Nolens, Johan Leysen

With a declaration of love to language. Guy Cassiers couldn’t have concluded his artistic leadership of Toneelhuis in a more beautiful way.

Together with Luc Coorevits, Guy Cassiers made a selection of poetry from the work of Leonard Nolens, one of the most important poets writing in Dutch. Zeg aan de kinderen dat wij niet deugen (Tell the Children We’re No Good) is a self-portrait of the poet and his generation. Or call it a confession. An admission of guilt. Delivered by Johan Leysen. Presented at the crossroads of theatre, poetry, music and technology, as only Guy Cassiers can.

In 1997, Leonard Nolens received the Constantijn Huygens Prize for his entire oeuvre and in 2012, the Dutch Literature Prize. Ghent University gave him an honorary doctorate in 2018. By now, his career spans more than five decades. This production features poems from the volumes Bres (2007) and Zeg aan de kinderen dat wij niet deugen (2011).

"With Zeg de kinderen dat wij niet deugen (Tell the Children We’re No Good) Toneelhuis and Behoud de Begeerte present an intimate homage to Leonard Nolens, the almost 75-year-old prince of poetry. Johan Leysen elevates the production to singular heights."

"With this 50-minute gem, Cassiers, Coorevits and Leysen conduct a successful exercise in stocktaking. A quiet farewell can also be done with style."

Gilles Michiels in De Standaard **** , 24 January 2022

"With this poetic and intimate production, Cassiers gives a small wave goodbye, but does it with style. Zeg aan de kinderen dat wij niet deugen excels in its subtlety: the phrasing of a word, the play of light and shadow, and soft, unobtrusive snatches of music."

"In Zeg de kinderen dat wij niet deugen , Leonard Nolens’ poems sketch the life story of a lonely, unhappy man who takes leave of the world. Johan Leysen recites them with great subtlety. Director Guy Cassiers underpins the whole with tasteful restraint, bidding a worthy farewell to Toneelhuis."

Johan Thielemans in Pzazz , 23 January 2022

"Guy Cassiers: "This production is a nice conclusion to my 16-year exploration at Toneelhuis. I have had a wonderful time in Antwerp. And I also want to thank the audience in Antwerp for accompanying me and all the other Toneelhuis makers on that journey. Let this be a kind of parting gift." ATV looked at the rehearsals and spoke with Guy Cassiers and Johan Leysen."

"Read the interview with ‘a top European actor, Leysen, who has shared the screen with George Clooney and Catherine Deneuve; an artistic director, Cassiers, who put an indelible stamp on contemporary Flemish theatre, a cultural entrepreneur, Coorevits, who turned literature and poetry into a performing art; and a poet, Nolens, who for years has been a serious candidate for a Nobel Prize’."

Danny Ilegems in Humo , 18 January 2022

text

  • Leonard Nolens

concept

  • Guy Cassiers
  • Luc Coorevits

director

  • Guy Cassiers

with

  • Johan Leysen

dramaturgy

  • Erwin Jans

set and light design

  • Ief Spincemaille

soundscape

  • Diederik De Cock

video design

  • Bram Delafonteyne

production

  • Toneelhuis
  • Behoud de Begeerte

with the support of

  • de Tax Shelter van de Belgische federale overheid
  • Casa Kafka Pictures Tax Shelter

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  1. Friday 21 January 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  2. Saturday 22 January 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  3. Sunday 23 January 2022 — 15h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  4. Tuesday 25 January 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  5. Wednesday 26 January 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  6. Thursday 27 January 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  7. Saturday 29 January 2022 — 20h00 — NTGent/Schouwburg, Gent
  8. Tuesday 15 February 2022 — 20h00 — KVS - BOL, Brussel
  9. Wednesday 16 February 2022 — 20h00 — KVS - BOL, Brussel
  10. Wednesday 2 March 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  11. Thursday 3 March 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  12. Friday 4 March 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  13. Saturday 5 March 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  14. Thursday 31 March 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  15. Friday 1 April 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen
  16. Saturday 2 April 2022 — 20h00 — Bourlaschouwburg, Antwerpen

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