The first talk shows aired in the 1950s and they have determined the evening rhythm in many living rooms ever since. But the invention of the internet has definitively pushed the format into decline. In TALK SHOW, Suze Milius bids them farewell. It is both a retrospective and a look ahead into the future, an attempt to ascribe value to everything that gradually disappears, and an ode to the details of our existence.

This curated Beckett evening presents a surprising mix of forms: a monologue by Johan Leysen; an academic lecture about memory, neurology, machines and consciousness; a video installation with an immersive (post-)apocalyptic landscape; and a concert. Through this combination, Kris Verdonck explores a fascination that he shares with Beckett, namely technology and the increasing conflict between humans and machines.

William Gaddis is one of the most influential authors in American postmodern literature. His 1975 magnum opus JR is a complex and hilarious satire on capitalism. FC Bergman has opted for an ambitious adaptation that unmasks contemporary humanity. The company is building a sky-high set in the halls of Paleis12 at the Heizel, around which an extensive ensemble of actors will reconstruct the kaleidoscopic world of JR.

For this ‘remake’ of Iemand van ons (2005), Tristero has mobilized a seasoned cast with plenty of life experience. Reinhilde Decleir, Mark Verstraete, Janine Bischops, Bob De Moor, Kristin Arras and Kris Smet all get into a big bed together and talk about politics, love and life. With a great sense of humour, they ask one another personal questions, listen, toss and turn on the bed, and reveal their inner selves.

‘I resist the laziness of resistance. I am disgusted by how rage imagines itself to be a valid argument. I am ashamed of the dullness of the screamers. After Otaku, In Onaanvaardbare Staat and Habeus Corpus Joost Vandecasteele is returning with this new solo.