In the late 1920s, Nâzım Hikmet introduced free verse to Turkish poetry, and he was thus the first modern Turkish poet. He wrote the majority of Human Landscapes, his magnum opus, while in prison. The five hundred-page epic was only published posthumously, divided into five ‘books’. Michiel Vandevelde staged Book I last year, commissioned by steierische herbst. Book II now follows.

Landscape Orchestra seeks a musical answer to the question of how we can depict departure, travel, and arrival. The production visits the landscapes that we traverse on our way to different and better places. A series of portraits shows people for whom the world is difficult but not necessarily less poetic.

Claire Croizé engages with two of her favourite sources of inspiration: Bach and Rilke. She places both masters in the hands of Matteo Fargion, the British composer and multi-instrumentalist. They have not created slavish interpretations of Bach and Rilke, but rather opted for a playful, somewhat unruly tribute.

The vocal ensemble HYOID and artist-in-residence at Kaaitheater Benjamin Vandewalle are adapting Indianerlieder (1972) by Karlheinz Stockhausen, an iconic but rarely performed work. They are creating a gesamtkunstwerk that aims to reveal the vitality and timelessness of Stockhausen’s music. They are abandoning the original scenography in order to place the audience at the very centre of the three-dimensional ritual.

Flanked by two clumsy assistants, artist-in-residence Kate McIntosh stands on the stage as a high priestess in a glittering gown. During a kind of revue, they passionately devote themselves to a series of household experiments. Dark Matter is an extremely funny production that simultaneously evokes a sense of ominousness.

Trials of Money turns the theatre into a court of justice which does not yet exist. You’re invited to take part in the Special Tribunal for Semi-Human Persons in order to undertake the trial of the thing called ‘money’. The trial is conducted as a collective exercise: while the performers deliver their testimonies, they will respond to any question the audience has. Should money be found guilty, it leaves us with a very problematic question: what could be a just sentence?

THE THING is an automated and hybrid form consisting of four episodes, in between performance, workshop, and journey. The only ones present are you, a group of 8 to 12 people who open a suitcase and follow a wild mix of different triggers as a guide. Make a leap of faith!