Vake Poes; of hoe God verdween

Flemish director Lisaboa Houbrechts elaborates the story in images, text and music. Houbrechts: 'It is a dark narrative. It opens wounds and drains. It's about how children are trapped in a chain of violence. From the urge to break that chain, a tremendous life force and imagination can be released, but it can also implode into a cycle of destruction.'

The 12-year-old 'granddaughter of granddaughters' stands at the end of a long history. She looks back at the past of her grandfather on her father's side, 'Vake Poes' (grandfather Poes): his childhood, the war, sexual abuse in the brother school, the German occupation and the cruel marriage to Moeke Poes. The life stories and traumas of grandparents, parents, and their own, youngest generation are explored using Bach's St John Passion as a guide.
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The director explores how the small is intertwined with the big, the intimate with the political-social and the past with the present. The violence inflicted on children determines the violence of tomorrow. For this grand narrative, she collaborates with actors, singers and musicians of all ages, including actress Elsie de Brauw and accordionist Philippe Thuriot.

text by Lisaboa Houbrechts
direction Lisaboa Houbrechts
composition Johann Sebastian Bach
musical director Pedro Beriso
arrangements Pedro Beriso
arrangements for accordion and tenor Philippe Thuriot
music Bert Cools, Stijn Cools
stage design/puppets Filip Peeters
costume Oumar Dicko
light Fabiana Piccioli
dramaturgy Hildegard De Vuyst
musical dramaturgy Piet De Volder
with Alberto Martínez, Boule Mpanya, Driss Vandekerckhove, Eddie Dumont, Elisa Soster, Elsie de Brauw, Ferre Vereecken, Jules Dorné, Pieter Ampe, Philippe Thuriot, Stefaan Degand, Wolf De Graeve, Zofia Hanna
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orchestra (recording) Opera Ballet Flanders
lighting technology Bennert Vancottem
sound engineering Brecht Beuselinck
production of costumes Oumar Dicko, Kostuumatelier Toneelhuis
production of set and puppets Filip Peeters, Atelier FroeFroe
distribution Helena Elshout
production laGeste
co-production Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Toneelhuis, Le Phénix, scene Nationale Valenciennes, MC93, Opéra de Lille, Holland Festival
with thanks to The School of Gaasbeek
with the support of the City of Ghent, The Flemish Government, Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government