WELCOME, DEAR VISITORS

On 1 May, welcoming Ghent will open its gates for the arrival of Dionysos, elusive Greek god of abundance and rapture, of the collective urge to party, but above all of a completely unique theatre genre: classical tragedy.

Welcome, dear visitors! The festival is completely free. Walk the trail of Dionysos, Ghent's satyrs and bacchants, all the way to the Dionysian midsummer night feast at the end! Celebrate with all partners that winter has finally given way to sun and summer!

Spread over 8 districts, each Greek tragedy is highlighted by a different partner, from the most diverse perspectives and in the most diverse forms. Lights out, spotlights on? No way! Each brand new tragedy is born out of the dawn and into the open air, as a reoccurring ritual of encounter and connection. For, in and throughout the city. With that ritual comes a steaming cup of coffee and of course a piece of baklava or pain à la grecque!

The festival descends on locations in public spaces where the social issues of the Greek tragedies touch the stories of city and society today. The plays of Aischylos, Euripides and Sophocles possess an extraordinary ability to hold up a pitch-dark mirror to them. They show us how boundary-pushing mankind keeps colliding violently with its limits. They let us hear the dissonant sounds in the unison chorus of a society.

Like the tragedies, the festival chooses to give a megaphone to precisely those dissonant voices, voices that are no or hardly heard in public debate. In dialogue with classical tragedies, ALL GREEKS FESTIVAL makes room for vulnerability and resistance, for everyday heroes, for anger and grief, for fatal, abyssal conflict and reflection on it, for invisible suffering and care, for Dionysian feasting and dining, for making a vibrant community together.

PARTNERS

Academie voor Beeldende Kunst Gent (classes of Meghan Vanderbruggen, Mona Schietekat, Louisa Vanderhaegen and Martha Verschaffel), Action Zoo Humain, Ali Can Ünal / Jong Gewei, Atelier Orka, BERLIN / Yves Degryse, Beyond the Spoken / Barbara Raes, Bieke Purnelle / RoSa vzw, Créahm, Brik Tu-Tok, CIRQ, Collectief HINTER / Toneelacademie Maastricht, Comp. Marius, De Broederij, DE HOE, De Ledebirds, de Roovers, Dood Paard, Dries Warlop, Evelyne Coussens, Freddy Decreus, the Ghentian wijkregisseurs, Groendienst City of Ghent, Het Scheldeoffensief, Idries Bensbaho, KASK, Kapinga Gysel / Mais Quelle Chanson, Khadija El Kharraz Alami, Kopergietery, Kristoffel Demoen, Kris Verdonck / A Two Dogs Company, laGeste, Lara Staal, LARF!, Liz Aku / Aku Namatata, Lindah Leah Nyirenda, Luanda Casella, Voetvolk / Lisbeth Gruwez & Maarten Van Cauwenberghe, Maarten De Keukelaere, Manoeuvre, Masereelfonds, Michiel De Jaeger, Museum and Psychiatric Centre Dr. Guislain, Nele Buyst, Ninette, NTGent, Olympique Dramatique, Pascal Gielen, Peter Aers, Peter De Graef, Pleun van Engelen & Jonathan Michiels, Princess Isatu Hassan Bangura, Ruben Mardulier, STAN, Stefan Hertmans, Takkenorkest, TEJO Ghent, Tessa Kerre, Tiago Rodrigues, Tina De Gendt, Toneelhuis, UGent (Departments Greek & Sciences of the Arts, Music and Theatre), UZ Gent, Victoria Deluxe / Joeri Happel, VIERNULVIER, Villa Voortman, Werktoneel, WOLF WOLF, Wouter Hillaert, Zoë Ghyselinck.

The schools participating in the Mirror Walks are: 

Go! Atheneum Voskenslaan, Sint-Barbaracollege Gent, Don Bosco Technisch Instituut Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Go! Atheneum Wispelberg, Sint-Lodewijkscollege Brugge, Don Boscocollege Zwijnaarde, Sint-Lievencollege Gent, VBS Sancta Maria Gentbrugge, Wisper, Roots Compagnie (to be confirmed) and Luca School of Arts campus Leuven (to be confirmed).

ALL GREEKS FESTIVAL is an initiative of the Belgian city theatre NTGent.

CONCEPT: Milo Rau
CURATORS: Milo Rau, Benoît Vanraes & Matthias Velle
PROJECT TEAM: Dirk Crommelinck, Maarten Degezelle, Benny D’Haeseleer, Griet Dobbelaere, Dries Keymolen, Alaidin Lazhar, Klaas Lievens, Evelyn Vanhuffel, Joëlle Verstraeten
PRODUCTION: Alaidin Lazhar, Klaas Lievens, Evelyn Vanhuffel
REFLECTION SESSIONS: Joline Vermeulen
ILLUSTRATIONS: Sarah Yu Zeebroek
ARTWORK: Dries Keymolen
WEBSITE & PRESS: Jonas Mayeur