April

In July 1990, April Glaspie, then US ambassador to Iraq, has a meeting with President Saddam Hussein. A few days later, Iraq invades Kuwait. The reaction is swift: in the spring of 1991, a coalition led by the US attacks Iraq. The First Gulf War is a fact.

Exactly thirty years later, Willem de Wolf brings three characters together in April: April Glaspie, who has kept silent all these years about the content of her meeting with Saddam Hussein, Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, who died in captivity in 2015, and a news anchor who wants to know what was really said between April Glaspie and Saddam Hussein.

-|-Aprilmixes historical footage with a surprisingly personal and intimate perspective. The performance poses burning topical questions about the disturbed relationship between the Western and Arab worlds, about the role of the media, about the power or powerlessness of diplomacy and political institutions.

“Katelijne Damen is doing a grand job as Glaspi.”- De Standaard

"A great time document to reflect on the events of thirty years ago."- Het Nieuwsblad

"April shows - thanks to balanced acting, a rich text that makes you want to reread it at home and a stately decor - how the world takes on a grim face through power games, whether between men or not." - Knack Focus

directed by Guy Cassiers
text Willem de Wolf
featuring Katelijne Damen, Eelco Smits, Sabri Saad El Hamus
dramaturgy Erwin Jans
lighting design Fabiana Piccioli
music design Kris Defoort
production Toneelhuis
co-production De KOE, KVS
with support from Casa Kafka Pictures - Casa Kafka Pictures Tax Shelter empowered by Belfius, Tax Shelter measure of the Belgian Federal Government