"A theatre both precise and dreamy, naturalistic and dreamlike, profound and disturbing" Le Monde
In an idyllic birch forest stand two timber houses; in front of them, a stream; next to them, a border fence, and behind that: the ‘others’. Kingdom tells the story of a family of nine who packed up and left to live a life in harmony with nature – and failed. In the harsh and secluded setting of the Siberian taiga and in hostile vicinity of their own relatives, a family conflict escalates into a merciless battle for survival. Inspired by documentary film footage, Belgian director Anne-Cécile Vandalem stages a fable that is as beautiful as it is cruel, in which a young, innocent generation becomes the unwilling heirs of their grandparents’ and parents’ conflicts. In haunting close-ups, a camera team visiting the family captures various forms of escape and resistance by the adolescents and children. With Kingdom, the director, who is known for her suspenseful narrations, is now guesting in Vienna for the first time.
Text, direction Anne-Cécile Vandalem Stage design Ruimtevaarders With Arnaud Botman, Laurent Caron, Léonie Chaidron, Federico D’Ambrosio, Juliette Goossens, Philippe Grand’Henry, Épona Guillaume, Zoé Kovacs, Leonor Malamatenios, Isaac Mathot, Daryna Melnyk, Ida Mühleck, Eulalie Poucet, Noa Staes, Léa Swaeles Music Vincent Cahay, Pierre Kissling Cinematography Federico D’Ambrosio Light design Amélie Géhin Video Frédéric Nicaise Sound design Antoine Bourgain Costumes Laurence Hermant Dramaturgy Sarah Seignobosc Make-up design Sophie Carlier Assistant direction Pauline Ringeade, Mahlia Theismann Technical direction Damien Arrii Props Philippe Vasseur Camera Leonor Malamatenios Lights Hadrien Jeangette Stage management Marc Grandmougin Costumes Samira Benali Surtitles Erik Borgman – Werkhuis Press relations Fiona Defolny, Louise Dubreil, Dorothée Duplan, Camille Pierrepont Touring & communication Jill De Muelenaere Production director, Administration Audrey Brooking Collaborative Producer Daria Bubalo Children coaches Julia Huet, Camille Léonard Dog trainer Victorine Reinewald Children carer Anne Lahousse Administration Lila Pérès Set construction Ateliers du Théâtre de Liège, Ateliers du Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles
Production Das Fräulein (Kompanie) Coproduction Théâtre de Liège, Festival d’Avignon, Théâtre National (Brussels) , Odéon - Théâtre de l’Europe (Paris), Le Volcan - scène nationale du Havre, Théâtre du Nord - CDN (Lille), Théâtre de Lorient - CDN, Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Théâtre de Namur, Le Quai - CDN d’Angers, Les Célestins - Théâtre de Lyon, Maison de la culture de Tournai, La Coop asbl & Shelter Prod Supported by Tax Shelter programme of the Belgian Federal Government, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles – Service du Théâtre, Loterie nationale (Belgium)
Premiere July 2021, Festival d’Avignon
