Thomas Ryckewaert
Thomas Ryckewaert (1979) studied biology and philosophy at KU Leuven and then trained as an actor at the Antwerp Conservatory under Dora van der Groen, graduating in 2006. During his studies, he interned with Ivo Van Hove for Opening Night, after which he collaborated with him on Children of the Sun. He later performed in productions by, among others, Eric De Volder (Au Nom du Père), Lucas Vandervost (Nietzsche’s Tears), and Thibaud Delpeut (Medea, Nora).
In addition to being an actor, Thomas is also a writer and director. He created works such as Golem, Move 37 (in collaboration with cosmologist Thomas Hertog), and CHAOS. Making Sense of an Ending. His scientific background fuels his artistic work: research phases and collaborations with scientists often form the starting point for performances that evolve into sensory, spatial experiences. He explores the relationship between the human and the alien, between the strange and the intimate, biology and technology, reality and fiction. His work is described as poetic, radical, visual, and ritualistic. He is currently working on a triptych inspired by Jeff VanderMeer’s New Weird thriller Annihilation, where horror, science fiction, and ecology converge.
Beyond theatre, Thomas has worked with several (international) TV and film directors, including Hans Herbots in the Emmy Award-nominated series The Spiral and the international Netflix series The Serpent. Thomas played the lead role in Waldstille by Martijn Maria Smits, for which he was nominated for Best Actor in the Golden Calf competition at the Netherlands Film Festival 2017. Other directors include Nathalie Teirlinck (Venus vs Me – Best European Short at the Berlinale), Urszula Antoniak (Magic Mountains), and Teodora Mihai (Traffic). Recently in the Netherlands, Thomas appeared in the NPO series 'Ik val niet ik dans' by Simone van Dusseldorp and the feature film Hokwerda’s Kind by Boudewijn Koole.
This season, Thomas Ryckewaert appears in Primeval and Other Times.
© photo Isabel Sànchez Olid