Lara Staal

In her theatre work, Lara Staal (1984) invariably works with those who experience the consequences of a failing social system. Staal co-creates performances with them that show the impact of institutionalised discrimination and other systemic failures on people's lives. 

As in-house artist at NTGent, Staal created the performances 'Dissident' (2021), in which five so-called problem youths educate the audience about the issues in contemporary education, and the short film 'De Zaak Samuel' (2021) about the hell a young Eritrean refugee has to go through to reach Europe. The performance 'SERDI' (2023), about youth care, was selected for the Belgian TheatreFestival as one of the most remarkable productions of the season. 'De gevangenis' ('The Prison', currently on tour, gives the stage to four ex-prisoners and denounces the failing Belgian prison system.

Experiential expertise is an essential concept in Staal's work. This stems from the conviction that embodied experience is essential to bridge the gap between policymakers and the people whose lives are directly affected by those policies.

In addition to creating performances with a social impact, Staal works as a tutor at DAS theater in Amsterdam and regularly gives workshops and lectures on political theater within various cultural contexts. She also enjoys designing conversations and conferences where people from different backgrounds come together to critically examine the present and explore alternative futures together.