De Profundis - A Gay Love Letter
Char Li Chung directs Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, a poignant literary testimony of a love between two men. Just like the successful Don Caravaggio and Edward II – The Gay King, De Profundis is a unique translation of a literary masterpiece to the stage, in which important historical homosexual figures play a central role.
Run time 85 minuten
Genre theater
Language Dutch
In Gesprek Fri 23 September
De Profundis - A gay love letter
Oscar Wilde wrote one of the longest and most urgent 'love letters' ever from prison: an amour fatale, an ode to a lost love. The letter, never sent, is both a bitter lament for a lost love and a hymn to friendship and forgiveness. Wilde, convicted of sodomy, meticulously describes a passion as destructive as it is addictive. Love and hate, beauty and resentment fight for pre-eminence. Suffering is the result. Without shame or restraint Oscar Wilde expresses his anger, his desire, his pain.
Just as Oscar Wilde found an absolute sanctuary in writing his letter, Chung makes the stage a similar space. A gathering place for anger. A confessional where everything can be said aloud. A place where the deepest and darkest thoughts see the light. -|-
Mix of theatre, dance, music and image
De Profundis is a mix of theatre, dance, music and image, performed by Ludwig Bindervoet, danced by Ivan Montis and with live music by performance artist Ariah Lester.
“Sorrow is the most sensitive of all created things” - Oscar Wilde
In gesprek
After the performance, come and think, listen and chat at In Gesprek. We invite a guest to further explore the themes of De Profundis - A gay love letter and to exchange experiences. If you have any questions, this is the perfect time to ask them. In Gesprek is free of charge and starts shortly after the performance in one of our foyers, is conducted in Dutch and lasts about half an hour.
Credits
text Oscar Wilde
translation Gerrit Komrij
adaptation Bart van den Donker and Char Li Chung
director Char Li Chung
performance Ludwig Bindervoet
-|-music and performance Ariah Lester
dance Ivan Montis
dramaturgy Madelon Kooijman
scenography Koen Steger
lighting design Yuri Schreuders
costume design Femke van Neerven and Jessica Helbach