Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Close

Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

KVS & Platform 0090 / Mesut Arslan / Edward Albee

Shows

Sorry, there are currently no available shows.
Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
KVS & Platform 0090 / Mesut Arslan / Edward Albee

Drawing on his fascination for human relationships and the complex emotions that accompany them, director Mesut Arslan sets to work with one of the most-performed classics of the twentieth century: Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? a play by Edward Albee from 1962.

19.30h - 22.00h
Coats and large bags are not allowed inside

Director Mesut Arslan transforms Edward Albee's classic into a political lecture that weighs the public against the private.

Mesut Arslan, one of the KVS faces, has been basking in glowing reviews in Belgium and beyond with his wonderfully quirky interpretations of popular and less well-known repertoire.

Taking his fascination with human relationships and the complex emotions that accompany them, the director tackles one of the most-performed classics of the twentieth century: Edward Albee’s 1962 play Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf? Of course, he does so ‘Arslan-style’, creating an extraordinary game of space and time, with a lighting design by Jan Maertens and in a scenography by Pascal Leboucq. Ata Ünal takes on the dramaturgy and Marc Vanrunxt lends artistic advice.

Mesut Arslan interprets George and Martha’s story in a unique, tangential approach. This elderly couple cruelly visit all their disillusions upon the idealistic young pair Nick and Honey, manipulative interventions transform the performance into a political lecture, leveraging the public and the private. Brace yourself for an acoustic experience that makes use of the entire space.

Mesut Arslan works with sixteen actors. Twelve of them echo the sentences uttered by the four main characters, subtly colouring their words. Gradually, this erupts into a game of hierarchy, peer pressure and power. What happens when an actor only has one voice actor to back him up, when his opponent’s lines are mouthed along loudly by eleven voices? Will the audience listen to the loudest voice? Does the majority always win? What is fiction, what is real, and whom can you trust?

Uit de pers

"Boven onze hoofden hangt een prachtige lichtinstallatie van Jan Maertens, die alle tinten wit, geel en oranje als vlekken uitstrooit over de speelvloer. Arslan creëert knappe sculpturale scènes, met enkel lijnen van licht en (veel) stoelen."
​​- De Standaard

"De knappe lichtinstallatie aan het plafond laat de temperatuur stijgen, waardoor je de broeierige atmosfeer ten huize George en Martha aan den lijve ondervindt."
​​- Brusselblog

Mesut Arslan
Director
Mesut Arslan

Mesut Arslan is regisseur, artistiek directeur van Platform 0090 en KVS-gezicht. Zijn roots liggen erg verspreid: Macedonië, Kosovo, Turkije, België, Vlaanderen, ... Wellicht speelt dat een rol in hoe hij op geheel eigen wijze reconstructies maakt van teksten, scènes, auteurs en beelden. Hij creëert een eigen stijl die evolueert naar een beeldtaal waarbij taal op experimentele wijze wordt verwerkt.

In Turkije acteert Mesut in voorstellingen van het stadstheater van Izmir en de Yenis Asir theatergroep - waar hij ook regie-assistent is. Op zijn twintigste stapt hij alleen op het vliegtuig naar België waar hij zich na een aantal jaar ook toelegt op theater. Hij richt er zijn eigen gezelschap op. Met de Anatolië Theater Groep (ATG) boekt hij vooral succes bij de Turkse gemeenschap. Later richt hij Platform 0090 op: een werkplaats en draaischijf voor onderzoek, creatie en presentatie van multidisciplinaire kunst met referenties naar het Midden-Westen - waar hij als artistiek directeur optreedt. In 2006 cureert hij het Theaterfestival voor België en Nederland.

Sinds 2017 hoort Mesut Arslan bij het open ensemble van KVS en is hij een vertrouwde regisseur voor het huis.

View Profile

Credits

Text: Edward Albee
Translation: Gerard Reve
Concept and director: Mesut Arslan
Dramaturgy: Ata Ünal
Scenography: Pascal Leboucq
Light Design: Jan Maertens
Artistic advice: Marc Vanrunxt, Matthias Velle
Actors: Frank Dierens, Darya Gantura, Rashif El Kaoui, Dorien de Clippel
Voice actors: Misja Nollet, Antje De Boeck, Juicy Dune, Nyira Hens, Layla Önlen, Elien Hanselaer, Marc De Knijf, Niels Planckaert, Robin Keyaert, Joachim Gys, Ali Can Ünal, Philippe Bernaerts
Director assistant: Sara Gracia Santacreu
Light technique: Helmi Demeulemeester
Sound Technique: Max Stuurman
Production: Tanja Vrancken
Production and administration: Valerie De Visscher
Costumes: Johanna Trudzinski

Production Platform 0090, KVS coproduction Toneelhuis, C-Takt, Perpodium
Thanks to Michael De Cock, Huseyin Umaysiz
With the support of Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Authority and the Flemish Community.

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 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 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 STA! speelt Koortsdromen in ITA Toneelbeeld ITA Educatie & Interactie / STA! Theater STA! speelt Koortsdromen in ITA Toneelbeeld
Close STA! speelt Koortsdromen in ITA Toneelbeeld ITA Educatie & Interactie / STA!
20 Apr '25 to 21 Apr '25
Amateur actors from Studenten Toneelvereniging Amsterdam (STA!) will have a unique opportunity to perform in the set of ITA ensemble's play Angels in America.
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 masterpiece played by Roman Derwig, Jacob Derwig and Hannah Hoekstra
Language NP Language no problem Mantike Toneelhuis / Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe Theater Mantike
Close Mantike Toneelhuis / Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
03 May '25
Mantike 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.