April
April is about the First Gulf War and its aftermath. The play is in every sense of the word a talking piece. Three characters sit together and talk. The subject of their conversation? Another conversation. On 25 July 1990, a few days before the invasion of Kuwait, April Glaspie, the American ambassador to Iraq, has a conversation with Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq. The conversation lasts two hours. A few days later, it is war. What exactly was said in that conversation between April and Saddam?
Start time 7:30 pm
Duration 90 minutes
Location Grote zaal
Language Dutch
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.
-|-April mixes 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.
Reviews
“Katelijne Damen is doing a grand job as Glaspie.” - 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
Guy Cassiers (born in Antwerp, 1960) is considered one of Europe’s top theatre-makers. His idiosyncratic theatrical idiom in which he successfully marries visual technology with a passion for literature is highly esteemed within Belgium and throughout the world. He has been artistic director of Toneelhuis from 2006 - 2022.
In season 25|26 his direction of Primeval and Other Times (Olga Tokarczuk) will be reprised at ITA.
Credits
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
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