Para
An impressive, improbably good performance in which the story is told of a failed Belgian UN mission to keep mankind from harm. Inimitably acted by Bruno Vanden Broecke, his hypnotic playing takes you along in the slow transformation from good intentions to grand fiasco, without losing your sympathy.
Start time: 20:00
Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Grote Zaal
Language: Dutch
About the performance
Nine years after their internationally acclaimed theatre hit Missie, author David Van Reybrouck, actor and theatre maker Bruno Vanden Broecke and director Raven Ruëll joined forces again for the KVS production Para. After the missionary in Missie, in this monologue David Van Reybrouck lets the soldier have his say. For this he delves into a forgotten piece of recent history, the large-scale Belgian military intervention in Somalia in 1992-93. For two years, Van Reybrouck ploughed through archives and publications and interviewed paratroopers who took part in this mission, both officers and ordinary soldiers.
"Para is primarily about the gnawing inside," author David Van Reybrouck states in an interview. "The show is about young men who were not prepared for the mission they were given. -|- They suddenly found themselves for four months in the middle of an extremely complex conflict in the Horn of Africa, in which hopeless boredom, latent racism and acute violence resulted in acts of which some people to this day wonder how they could have committed them."
Para's central theme is moral derailment. Van Reybrouck: "A number of paratroopers who served in Somalia have committed suicide in the meantime. For them, that past and their own, burdened conscience never went away."
Para is neither indictment nor praise, but explores the complex tragedy of 'international peace operations'. It is a story about idealism and impotence, about noble aims and sordid practices.
Awards
At the 2018 Dutch Theatre Festival, Bruno Vanden Broecke received the Louis d'Or for his performance! From the jury report: "In Para, Bruno Vanden Broecke is an actor who becomes his character. He seems to start out shy and awkward and gradually grabs the audience mercilessly by the scruff of the neck."
Para also receives praise in France: Théâtre de l'Union awarded it the Prix de coopérateurs, in the category 'Best performance of 2018/2019'.
In the press
"After David Van Reybrouck's previous success, expectations were high. Para lives up to them... This is the story of so many international missions, touched in every detail." - De Volkskrant ★★★★★
"As a whole Para stands like a tank. A solidity of wrought iron, with the barrel aimed at the right emotions and civil duties. Touching. " - Het Nieuwsblad ★★★★
"Bruno Vanden Broecke is the king of the monologue... This is not just another theatre piece. No, it is an event of national importance: an exercise in remembrance and empathy." - De Standaard
Credits
Direction Raven Ruëll
Actor Bruno Vanden Broecke
Text David Van Reybrouck
Scenography Leo De Nijs
Execution Decor Kvs Atelier
Lighting designer Johan Vonk
Lighting designer Geert Drobé
Sound design Dimitri Joly
Costume Heidi Ehrhart
Translation surtitles Monique Nagielkopf
Production Manager Lieven Symaeys
Production Kvs
Distribution & Tour Management Saskia Lienard
With thanks to Jacques Bloemen & Adriaan Van Den Hoof
WITH COVID ADMISSION TICKET
To visit this performance you need a valid COVID admission ticket. This can be a negative test result, a vaccination certificate or proof that you have recovered from corona (proof of recovery). You must convert one of these into a QR code in the CoronaCheck app or a print via CoronaCheck.nl. Only then will you have a valid COVID admission ticket.
