PERSIANS. Triumph of Empathy

Close
27 Jan '25

PERSIANS. Triumph of Empathy

NTGent / Action Zoo Humain / Chokri Ben Chikha
PERSIANS. Triumph of Empathy
27 Jan '25
NTGent / Action Zoo Humain / Chokri Ben Chikha

Persians. Triumph of Empathy is an extraordinary theatrical production directed by Chokri Ben Chikha. In this performance, he and six performers explore how to be more understanding and empathetic in a conflict that has been going on for decades: the conflict between Israel and Palestine. They do this by looking at one of the oldest plays in history, The Persians by the Greek writer Aeschylus.

Run time 80 minutes
Genre Theatre
Language Multilingual incl. surtitles

Dutch premiere

Please note.
The performance contains authentic images from Israel and Palestine. There are sounds, images and scenes that can be emotionally intense and potentially shocking.

Persians. Triumph of Empathy


This play is about a war between the Greeks and the Persians, with the writer himself having fought against the Persians. The central question is: Did Aeschylus have empathy and understanding for his enemy, or did he primarily want to show how superior the Greeks were? By asking these questions, the performers look for connections between this ancient story and today's genocide in the Middle East.
-|-
The performance, based on interviews Ben Chikha conducted in Israel and Palestine in January 2024, combines words, dance and music into a dazzling and moving whole. Persians. Triumph of Empathy thus balances between art and reality, opportunism and empathy.


Press

De Standaard

"Chokri Ben Chikha and Action Zoo Humain show in Persians. Triumph of Empathy the Israeli and Palestinian sides mourn, speak, play and dance with each other. ‘The biggest challenge’ they “ever faced” became a necessary and deliberate punch in the stomach."

PZAZZ

"But rarely do you see theatre that manages to confront fiction and current affairs, word and image, repertoire and performance so cleverly and punishingly. It is almost disconcerting to observe. It is precisely thanks to all the displacement this war aims for that art comes home to roost in ‘Persians’: risky, necessary, on the cutting edge."

Credits


concept, direction and choreography Chokri Ben Chikha
with and by Hellen Boyko, Liah Frank, Marah Haj Hussein, Mareille Labohm and Sofiane El Boukhari
text Erik-Ward Geerlings and performers
film Jan Beddegenoodts
dramaturgy Sietske de Vries
movement coaches Izah Hankammer and Daisy Phillips
soundscape Jo Thielemans
lightning design Dennis Diels
set design Karolien De Schepper
costume design Chloé Wasselin-Dandre
-|-
production NTGent & Action Zoo Humain
coproduction Theater Rotterdam
partners City of Ghent and The Flemish Community
with the support of The Taxshelter of the Belgian Federal Government

MORE THEATRE

Language NP Language no problem Giovanni's Room ITA Ensemble Theater Giovanni's Room
Close Giovanni's Room ITA Ensemble / Eline Arbo
15 Jan '25 to 02 Mar '25
Director Eline Arbo adapts James Baldwin's timeless classic for the stage. A music filled performance about love, identity, and the fear of being oneself.
Language NP Language no problem [ meeuw ] Toneelhuis / Olympique Dramatique / theater arsenaal Theater [ meeuw ]
Close [ meeuw ] Toneelhuis / Olympique Dramatique / theater arsenaal
26 Jan '25
“Chekhov's magnificent classic only gains strength in sign language.” – Theaterkrant (Critic's Choice)
Language NP Language no problem PERSIANS. Triumph of Empathy NTGent / Action Zoo Humain / Chokri Ben Chikha Theater PERSIANS. Triumph of Empathy
Close PERSIANS. Triumph of Empathy NTGent / Action Zoo Humain / Chokri Ben Chikha
27 Jan '25
Persians. Triumph of Empathy is an extraordinary theatrical production directed by Chokri Ben Chikha.
Language NP Language no problem Prima Facie ITA Ensemble Theater Prima Facie
Close Prima Facie ITA Ensemble / Eline Arbo
04 Oct '24 to 31 Mar '25
Eline Arbo directs Maria Kraakman in author Suzie Miller's award-winning play. This cutting monologue caused a furor on West End and Broadway. Numerous versions were produced worldwide. Eline Arbo was the first to stage the play in the Netherlands.
Language NP Language no problem The Wall ITA Ensemble Theater The Wall
Close The Wall ITA Ensemble / Eline Arbo
05 Mar '25 to 27 Apr '25
A middle-aged woman concludes, one morning during a weekend at a friends' country house in the Austrian Alps, that she is all alone. She sets out to investigate and, comes across an impenetrable glass wall, which completely isolates her from the rest of the world.
Language NP Language no problem Return of the King Sadettin K. Theater Return of the King
Close Return of the King Sadettin K.
08 Mar '25
After the success of CITIZEN K and Somedaymyprincewill.com, accomplished storyteller Sadettin Kırmızıyüz and director Casper Vandeputte are joining forces once more. Their newest project, Return of the King, explores the re-emigration of Sadettin's retired father.
Language NP Language no problem The Grief of Red Granny Toneelhuis / Gorges Ocloo Theater The Grief of Red Granny
Close The Grief of Red Granny Toneelhuis / Gorges Ocloo
26 Mar '25
17 February 1934. King Albert climbs the cliffs of Rocher du Bon Dieu in Marche-les-Dames and falls to his death. Reportedly, two million Belgians attended the funeral procession, yet according to protocol, Queen Elisabeth was not even allowed to be present at her husband's funeral.
Language NP Language no problem De mannen Maria Anna Drijver Theater De mannen Maria
Close De mannen Maria Anna Drijver
27 Mar '25
De mannen van Maria tells the true story of a woman who, in a challenging time, recognized her possibilities, chose her own path, and did what no woman had done before.
Language NP Language no problem De zaak Shell Bureau Vergezicht Theater De zaak Shell
Close De zaak Shell Bureau Vergezicht
28 Sep '24 to 06 Apr '25
De zaak Shell ingeniously shows that the climate crisis is a crisis of responsibility.
Language NP Language no problem NACHTWACHT NITE / Club Guy & Roni / HIIIT / Asko|Schönberg / Nederlands Kamerkoor NXT / Guy Weizman i.s.m. ITA Theater NACHTWACHT
Close NACHTWACHT NITE / Club Guy & Roni / HIIIT / Asko|Schönberg / Nederlands Kamerkoor NXT / Guy Weizman i.s.m. ITA
10 Apr '25 to 13 Apr '25
Rik van den Bos, Guy Weizman, and Roni Haver delve once again into a realm where the significant themes of our era are fearlessly and unconventionally explored through a fusion of dance, text and newly composed music.
Language NP Language no problem Angels in America ITA Ensemble Theater Angels in America
Close Angels in America ITA Ensemble / Ivo van Hove
11 Apr '25 to 28 Apr '25
In 2008, Ivo van Hove directed a radical Angels in America which Tony Kushner himself, after his passage through Amsterdam, dubbed his favourite version up to then. It is this version that is now being staged again, with some actors from the original cast and some new actors from the ITA Ensemble.
Language NP Language no problem Moeder Courage Het Nationale Theater / Liesbeth Coltof Theater Moeder Courage
Close Moeder Courage Het Nationale Theater / Liesbeth Coltof
29 Apr '25 to 30 Apr '25
A woman known as Moeder Courage (Mother Courage) risks everything during wartime to survive with her children. We follow her heartbreaking journey amidst chaos and conflict. The National Theatre presents Moeder Courage a raw, contemporary, yet loving music theater production.
Language NP Language no problem Hamlet Theater Rotterdam / Erik Whien Theater Hamlet
Close Hamlet Theater Rotterdam / Erik Whien
02 May '25 to 03 May '25
Shakespeare's classic starring Jacob Derwig and his son Roman.
Language NP Language no problem Mantike Bloom Boom Toneelhuis / Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe Theater Mantike Bloom Boom
Close Mantike Bloom Boom Toneelhuis / Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
03 May '25
Mantike Bloom Boom advocates for multiple perspectives and takes up the fight against resignation. Author Louise van den Eede is in charge of the script for this production. Instead of predicting doom or promoting conspiracy theories, the production fosters innovative ideas for a brighter future.
Language NP Language no problem Battlefield of Dreams Theater Utrecht / Floor Houwink ten Cate Theater Battlefield of Dreams
Close Battlefield of Dreams Theater Utrecht / Floor Houwink ten Cate
09 May '25 to 10 May '25
Through the eyes of a diverse group of artists - women, men and non-binary individuals of various ages and backgrounds - we give voice to the often invisible and unheard stories surrounding the topic of reproduction.
Language NP Language no problem Hamlet Studio Antigone / Agaath Witteman Theater Hamlet
Close Hamlet Studio Antigone / Agaath Witteman
13 May '25
HAMLET was written in a time of unrest in Elizabethan England. A turmoil that Shakespeare projected onto Denmark: the Norseman Fortinbras is rattling the royal gates, the people smell a violation of the royal bloodline.
Language NP Language no problem Reigen re-erected Het Zuidelijk Toneel / Sarah Moeremans Theater Reigen re-erected
Close Reigen re-erected Het Zuidelijk Toneel / Sarah Moeremans
18 May '25 to 19 May '25
After the success of Mission Molière and Crashtest Ibsen, Het Zuidelijk Toneel presents Reigen re-Erected. In this version, director Sarah Moeremans and writer Joachim Robbrecht humorously illuminate the mysterious and vulnerable corners of lust and love in our time.
Language NP Language no problem Queen of Disco Rightaboutnow Inc. Music Theater Queen of Disco
Close Queen of Disco Rightaboutnow Inc.
24 May '25 to 25 May '25
Winner of the Toneelschrijfprijs 2023. Due to its success, the show returns! QUEEN OF DISCO is a music theatre production depicting the irresistible rise, tragic downfall, and inevitable rebirth of disco music, all personified through the life of disco icon and flamboyant LGBTQ activist SYLVESTER.
Language NP Language no problem Anna Karènina Teatre Nacional de Catalunya / Carme Portaceli Theater Anna Karènina
Close Anna Karènina Teatre Nacional de Catalunya / Carme Portaceli
29 May '25 to 31 May '25
Anna falls in love, and just then, like an omen she senses, death begins to hang over the whole play. She decides to stop letting herself be pushed around: everything is a lie, everything is deception, everything is false, everything is evil.
Language NP Language no problem The Hours
on Tour
ITA Ensemble Theater The Hours
Close The Hours ITA Ensemble / Eline Arbo
20 Jun '25 to 22 Jun '25
The stage adaptation of Michael Cunningham's The Hours.
Language NP Language no problem The End of Eddy ITA Ensemble Theater The End of Eddy
Close The End of Eddy ITA Ensemble
25 Aug '25 to 01 Sep '25
Édouard Louis took the world by storm with his successful autobiographical novel The End of Eddy. Without much frills, the novel tells the life story of a homosexual boy growing up in a homophobic environment.