With an ensemble that brings Israelis and Palestinians on stage together, Flemish theatre maker and historian Chokri Ben Chikha draws a line from the oldest Greek tragedy to the current apparently irresolvable conflict in the Middle East. Perzen is a gripping theatrical balancing act that does not offer any easy solutions.
Is it possible to understand or even love your enemy? In light of the decades-long and polarising conflict between Israel and Palestine, in light of the massacre of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war, the Flemish theatre maker and historian Chokri Ben Chikha asks with an ensemble that brings Israelis and Palestinians on stage together after the power of empathy – naive as that may seem. The production puts it all on the line, looking for a connection between the oldest extant Greek tragedy, The Persians by Aeschylus, and the conflict in the Middle East. The show is based on interviews conducted by Chokri Ben Chikha in Israel and Palestine in 2024 and combines documentary text, movement and sound into a gripping balancing act that does not offer the audience any easy solutions. Perzen is Chokri Ben Chikha's first introduction to the Viennese audience.
Concept, Direction, Choreography Chokri Ben Chikha With and by Hellen Boyko, Sofiane El Boukhari, Liah Frank, Marah Haj Hussein, Mareille Labohm, Moussa Ndiaye, Marah Haj Hussein/Natalie Salsà Text Erik-Ward Geerlings and performers Film Jan Beddegenoodts Video Wim Piquer Dramaturgy Sietske de Vries Movement coaches Izah Hankammer, Daisy Phillips Soundscape Jo Thielemans Lighting design Dennis Diels Set design Karolien De Schepper Costume design Chloé Wasselin-Dandre Production management Irina Leskovskaya Technical production management Patrick Martens Technical crew Dennis Diels (Lights), Korneel Moreaux (Sound), Wim Piqueur (video)Photography Kurt Van Der Elst Project team Irina Leskovskaya & Leen Van Welden (project management), Maarten Degezelle (public relations), Loubna Boukaroua & Oya Latifa (communication), Jo De Visscher (costume studio coordination), Joris Soenen (decoration studio coordination), Carl Vermeersch (artistic planning) Set, props and costumes NTGent Thanks to Ludo De Brabander, Esmeralda Schütz, Eitan Bronstein Aparicio, Ludo Abicht, Isabelle Grynberg, Charles-Daniel Schreiber, Zouzou Ben Chikha, Jawad Musleh, Angela Godfrey, Robi Damelin, Roni Zeidan, Dani Brodsky, Moshe Zimmermann, Yael Ayalon, Amer Badan, Freddy Rokem, Munther Isaac, Rashed Khudairy, An Verelst, Sophie Samyn
Production NTGent & Action Zoo Humain Coproduction Theater Rotterdam Partners City of Ghent and the Flemish Community Supported by Tax Shelter Programme of the Belgian Government World premiere June 2024, NTGent
